Don't Think About It
by redh
Summary: “Don't start. I know how much you want to find her and I know how much it is hurting you.” The captain look directly into his detective's eyes. “But don't make me take you off this case.” E/O affair!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Elliot watched the guy get out of the car and run to the passenger side to open the door. He scoffed when the guy held out his hand. She wouldn't go for that. She's not...okay maybe she is like that. He scowled as he lifted her out of the car. He could barely see the smiles on their faces. They locked arms and began walking towards Olivia's building door. Elliot got out of his car and slowly walked down the sidewalk. He stopped behind a bush where he could see and hear them.

"I want to see you again." This guy is annoying, Elliot thought.

Olivia looked down smiling as he took her hand. "I would like that." She said looking up. Elliot could feel his anger rising.

He kept it under control though, even though the next thing almost pushed him over the edge. The tall, brooding guy leaned forward and placed a kiss on Olivia's soft lips. Before he pulled away completely, he whispered something in her ear. Olivia giggled. She actually giggled.

"Well we'll see about that." She gave him a small smile. "I expect to hear from you tomorrow, Doctor."

"Are you going to arrest me if I don't, Detective?" he asked stepping away, but he held her hand.

"I may." She smiled as he kissed the top of her hand. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He answered, lingering for a moment before heading for his car.

Olivia and Elliot watched as he got in and drove away. After the car was out of view, Elliot turned back to Olivia expecting her to be unlocking the door, but she just walked to the steps and sat down.

"Are you going to stand in the shadows all night?" she looked directly at him behind the bushes. "I may have to call the cops." she joked lightly. He took a deep breath before coming forward. To anyone else, he looked calm and collected, but Olivia could feel the rage rolling off of him. She knew he was mad. She stood up. "Why are you here?"

Elliot took in the way she was dressed. She had on a knee length navy blue halter dress that hugged every curve of her body. Her wrap hung lightly on her bear shoulders. Elliot ignored her question. "How was your date with what's his name?" he asked nonchalantly walking up the steps.

"What's his name has a name and you know it." She snapped at him, pulling her keys out of her clutch.

"Well then," he stepped closer than needed. "How was your date with Colin." He drawled. He grabbed the keys from her hand and headed towards the door. "Why didn't he stay?"

Olivia grabbed the keys before he could enter them into the lock. She held on to them tightly. "Go home, Elliot." she demanded tiredly.

He smiled at her, she knew that smile. It was the one before he went off on a suspect. It was the one that got so many to confess. She almost took a step back, but stood up to him. She would never give him the satisfaction. That may have been a mistake because before she knew it, his arm around her waist and her back was against the wall. She let out a small whimper of pain. Bricks connecting with her bare shoulder did not feel good. His free hand held her key hand. Her free hand rested on his chest.

"Let go" he whispered dangerously

She tilted her head to the side. "You first." They locked eyes, neither willing to back down. Olivia finally tried to break free, but she was trapped between the wall behind her and Elliot. She smiled at him. "Your arm must not be comfortable stuck between me and the wall." She whispered leaning her head back. She used as much force as she could muster to push her back against the wall. He hissed and she got her opportunity to move from his grasp. She didn't get far because now he was behind her with his arm around her waist. He regained her hand with the keys and forced them to the lock. "You're not coming up." She tried to fight him.

"Scared?" he questioned in her ear.

The door opened and he pushed her in. "Of you? Never."

He spun her around and pushed her against inside wall. "Good" He said before capturing her lips in a punishing kiss. "What about of yourself?" He pulled her towards the elevator. Their body's never separated.

Elliot stayed behind her and trailed his lips around her neck. The elevator was on its way up before Olivia answered. "I'm afraid you'll get hurt." She quipped.

"Don't worry about me, baby." He suckled her pulse point. "I can handle myself."

She pushed him off as the doors opened and walked out of the elevator backwards. "Then go home and um..." she looked down at him. "handle yourself." She then turned and headed for her door. She was about to unlock her door when she realized that she didn't have her keys. Her head fell against the door. She turned back to the elevator. Elliot was leaning against the closed doors holding the keys up, a smart ass smile on his face. "Toss them." She instructed.

He smiled at her before pushing himself up and sauntering over to her. She watched him come closer. She mentally kicked herself for not moving away from her door. Without ever touching her, he backed her to the door. His chest and the door held her in place. He had one hand resting on one side of her while the other moved the the keyhole, but not without sliding across her back. "I like it so much better when you handle me." He whispered seductively. She nearly fell backwards as the door opened. Luckily, Elliot's arm was around her again saving her from the fall. He pushed her in and slammed the door behind him. He dropped the keys and pushed her purse from her hands. "Tell me, why didn't lover-boy stay the night?" He still didn't let her go.

Olivia looked him in the eyes. "He has to get up early tomorrow, as do we." her voice was raspy.

Olivia's eyes widened a little as his eyes clouded over with anger. He roughly pushed himself away from her. He began pacing in her living room. Olivia pulled her wrap off and hung it up. She picked up her keys and purse and set them on the table. Her eyes never left Elliot's moving form. He stopped pacing, but made a beeline for her. Again, she didn't move. She wasn't afraid of him. He stopped a mere inch from her face. "Has he spent the night?" If he was any further away she wouldn't have been able to hear him. She didn't answer. "Answer me." His voice was low, demanding.

This time she did step back. It wasn't out of submission, it was out of the need for space. "No"

He closed the distance between them once more. This domineering act was starting to get to Olivia. "You're lying." He hissed.

Olivia used all of her strength to push him back. He looked shocked when he regained balance. "I am." She declared. "More than once." She almost shouted. "And it was good." She stabbed. Elliot's breathing was growing irregular. "Tell me, in the last...3 months of our...affair, how many times have you slept with Kathy?" Elliot froze. "Yeah, remember her? Your wife. The one you go home to every, well, almost every night?" She brushed past him heading towards her bedroom. "Don't corner me like that when you don't have a leg to stand on." She said bitterly.

Elliot took a moment to collect himself before he followed her. Her door was closed and locked. He knocked. "Open up, Liv." She didn't answer. "Liv, you know I wont leave." He stood there another few seconds before he heard it unlock and the door open. Olivia pushed past him in a pair of sweats and tank top. She walked into her bathroom and grabbed a wash cloth. She got it wet and wiped her face. She could see Elliot in the mirror behind her. She dried her face and walked right past him again and into the kitchen. She stopped. She didn't know what to do now. She leaned against the counter. Elliot walked over and stood across from her with his arms crossed. Neither moved or spoke. Their eyes stayed locked on the others. Olivia waited for him to say something, and he waited for her to say something.

"I'm sorry." he offered lamely

Olivia almost laughed. "No you're not." She walked over to the fridge and got two beers. She handed him one.

He rested the top on the counter and knocked the cap off. He took hers and did the same thing. "Well, not really, but hearing that you liked it with some other guy and then bringing my wife up is kinda harsh." He dumped the liquid down his throat.

Olivia did the same. "Yeah, you shouldn't have cornered me like that." She said sadly. "We're in this...thing together. And you know as well as I do that it's wrong. We're not dating." She said simply and Elliot knew she was right. They downed their drinks.


	2. Chapter 2 version 1

**Chapter 2 (Version 1)**

They stood in an awkward silence that seemed to last for an eternity. Neither moved, neither spoke, and neither looked at the other.

Olivia was the first to gain enough courage to say something. She wasn't sure of exactly what to say. "I...you can't keep doing this...getting jealous."

"Liv, I..."

"Wait." She held up her hand. "I really like Colin. I mean, I haven't felt this way about a guy in a long time." She looked down and played with her hands Elliot could tell she was nervous. She never fidgeted or looked away from him like she was now. "But there's something about you." Elliot stayed where he was, directly across from her leaning against the counter. "You know everything about me, inside out. I hate you for making me feel the way I do because of what we can't do. El, do you realize what will happen if we get caught?" She moved closer to him. He wouldn't look at her.

"I thought about it once and decided to never think about it again." He confessed.

"You will lose your wife and children." Olivia took the plunge into the conversation neither wanted to have. "I will lose the only guy that actually cares about me. We'll both be miserable." She began pacing. "We wont be able to be partners. I'll lose everything. You'll lose everything. We'll both lose everything." She ran her hand through her hair. She was thinking out loud more than talking to Elliot. "That means we wont have anything because we lost everything. If we lose..."

"Liv..."

"...everything, that means we have nothing. And..."

"Olivia..."

"How can we have anything if we..."

"Olivia!" Elliot shouted. He almost smiled. He grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her still. "Calm down, your rambling." She took a deep breath.

"We can't do this any more." She said sadly walking away.

"We shouldn't be doing this." Elliot lightly grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. "But we are." He gently lowered his lips to hers.

Olivia relished in his touch. He was definitely the best lover she ever had. She pulled away and look at their feet. "What if something goes wrong? What if somebody finds out?"

"We'll worry about it if..."

"When"

"...the time comes." Elliot whispered, lifting her chin.

"Elliot, we c..."

His lips descended onto hers. He parted her soft lips to stop all the words. "This is why I thought about it once and never again." He pulled her into his arms. "I know what you're worrying about because I am too." He looked directly into her eyes. "But I'm not ready to let you go." Before she could respond, his lips captured hers once more. She didn't object.


	3. Chapter 2 version 2

**Chapter 2 (Version 2)**

They stood at opposite sides of the kitchen, staring each other down.

"What did you want?" Olivia asked coldly. Elliot looked at her confused. "You came after me?" She explained. "What did you want?"

"I, uh...um," He searched for words, any words. He shook his head. "I don't know." He said exasperated.

"Well, that's great." She walked to the front door and opened it. "I'll see you at work in the morning." She sounded annoyed

Elliot walked towards the door, but instead of heading out, he slammed it shut. Olivia jumped at the action. "I'm here, I came here to be with you and you were out with Doctor Colin." He yelled. "We both had a long day and..."

"So that's it!" Olivia yelled. "We had a long day and the only way for you to feel better is to screw me?!" There was banging on her wall coming from her neighbor. She lowered her voice but the venom was still present. "What's wrong with you wife?" Neither was sure if the question was rhetorical.

Elliot answered anyway. "Probably the same thing that's wrong with you latest boy toy." He stabbed. "But here you are and here I am." He was directly in her face. "Do you even want him." He asked in a low voice, low, but almost sweet. "Or do you just want a warm bed?" He could see the daggers in her eyes, but he didn't care. He dared to move a strand of hair out of her face. She didn't flinch. "Do you think he cares about you just because he waited until the second date to come up?"

_SMACK!_

Elliot almost lost his balance from the force behind her palm connecting with his face. "Go to Hell!" Olivia seethed. Her hand stung from the impact. She almost regretted her actions, but then she felt her back hit the wall.

Elliot instantly had her against the wall. His positioned his knee between her legs as her hands latched onto his shoulders. She tried to push him away, but her current position she didn't allow it. He tore her wrists off his shoulders and pinned them against the wall. "You'll be following right behind me." He whispered. "You're in as much shit as I am." He smiled at Olivia's attempts to free herself. It was an effort to control her, she could definitely hold her own, but not this time. Her movements stopped as his chest connected with hers. His lips moved to her ear. "Tell me Liv, how long did you know I was watching the two of you?" She tried to move, but he held her tight. "Were you happy that he left? Were you relieved that you didn't have to spend the night with him? You could now spend the night with me?" He pulled back and looked directly into her eyes. "Tell me to leave, Olivia." He challenged her, her feelings, her desire. His lips rested an inch away from her lips. He took her silence as submission. "You can't walk away from me, can you?"

Olivia stared directly into his eyes. She listened to his words and wanted to knock him on his ass, but she couldn't. She was physically helpless, but she knew other ways to hurt him. The same was he hurt her. "I cant walk away from you?" She questioned. "I'm the one being held against the wall. I'm the one that can't move. I'm not the one keeping you here. You are the one keeping you here." She leaned over to his ear and whispered in a sultry voice, "You can't walk away from me, can you?" She smiled against his skin as he stiffened. "I actually like that, ya know?" She looked in his eyes. "I like to know that you want, need, me so bad, you're willing to risk everything. Tell me El, how does it feel to be committing a sin?" She smiled at his silence. "No an..."

"Shut up" he growled through his teeth as his hands let go of her wrists. One hand grabbed her chin and forced her lips to his. The other snaked around her waist and lifted, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he held her and carried her to the couch. He dropped her and covered her body with hers. "It feels damn good." He rasped before he attacked her mouth.

It didn't take long for their clothes to be shed or the others name screamed.


	4. Chapter 3 version 1

**Chapter 3(Version 1)**

Elliot opened his eyes to a room lit lightly with the sun's rays that passed through the drawn blinds. He sat up and rubbed his face then looked to the empty spot next to him. Rising and slipping on his pants he looked for any sign on his missing partner. Her clothes were still there, so unless she put something else on, she must still be here. He walked out of her room and towards her kitchen.

He saw Olivia standing by the coffee pot with her back to him. He leaned against the wall and took a moment to take her in. She wore a black silk robe that fell mid thigh giving him a nice look at her long legs. He slowly and quietly walked up behind her. She jumped when his hands rested on her shoulders. She relaxed when he moved the material aside and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"Morning" he whispered

"Morning" she turned to kiss him. "Coffee?" She held up a cup.

"Thank you." He took a sip. "What time is it?"

"A little after 7" She said from behind her own cup.

"So we both have less than an hour to get ready and get to work?" She nodded. "I can call in late."

"El, you have to go home." She looked down. "You don't have any clothes here."

Elliot nodded. Both of them hated the mornings when he had to leave. She set her coffee down. "I'm gonna hop in the shower. I'll see you at work." She began to walk past him, but he stopped her.

He pulled her into his lips. "I'll see you at work." He whispered

Elliot walked into the squad room a little past 9 and his eyes immediately fell on Olivia. She had a cup of coffee in one hand and a pen in the other filling out some paperwork. As he walked over to his desk he placed a small bag on her desk. She smiled when she pulled out a chocolate chip muffin.

"You never bring me anything." Munch said to Fin. "Don't you care?"

"Well I guess he likes her better." Fin retorted. "You never bring me anything either." He pointed out.

Elliot and Olivia smiled at the two fighting and then at each other. This morning was no different than any other morning, nor was the rest of the day.


	5. Chapter 3 version 2

**Chapter 3(Version 2)**

Olivia opened her eyes to her dark bedroom. She was happy for that because light would be bad for the headache that woke her from her slumber. She tried to sit up but the arm around her naked waist wouldn't allow it.

"What time is it?" Elliot grumbled

Olivia turned her head to the clock. "Almost 4." She pushed his arm away. "I need something for my head." She sat up and wrapped a sheet around her body and set her feet on the floor.

Elliot rolled over and sat next to her. "Stressed?" he began rubbing her shoulders.

"No more than usual." She murmured and relaxed into him. "But I think I hit my head on the armrest and the wall...and the floor." She smiled.

"Sorry about that."

She leaned into him and gave him a kiss. "Don't worry about it." She said. "Sorry about your back."

"Don't worry about." He kissed her back and wrapped his arm around her waist effectively pulling her closer. "You're a wild cat, you know that?"

She laughed against his lips. "You're not so tame yourself."

He pulled her into his lap. "Yeah, well, you..." He was cut off by his phone ringing. Olivia climbed off his lap. "Stabler." Olivia sat on her knees behind him. She trailed her hands and lips around his shoulders and neck. "Sorry, I forgot to call..." Olivia immediately stopped. "Its been a long day and I just fell asleep in the cribs." Olivia rolled off the side of the bed and grabbed her robe. Elliot tried to stop her, but she was out of his reach. "No, I didn't forget." He lied. "I'll leave now and be home soon. Yeah, okay, see you in a little while." He found his own clothes and put them on. "Liv?" he called but got no answer. He walked into the kitchen and saw her making coffee. "You'll never get to sleep if you drink that." He said walking up behind her.

"It's not for me." She handed him a cup. "It's for you." She walked past him. "I'll see you at work." She moved so quickly that Elliot wasn't able to say or do anything. He did catch the tiredness, almost defeated sound of her voice.

"Olivia!" He called, but all he got was the sound of her bedroom door closing. He thought about going after her, but decided to go home. He had to go to a parent teacher conference with Kathy about Dickie. The one he forgot about.

The parent teacher conference was at 8 and it didn't last long. Elliot dropped Kathy off at home and was at the station house by 10. He walked into the squadroom and noticed Olivia at her desk with a cup of coffee in one hand and a pen in the other working on a file. As he walked to his desk he dropped a small bag on her desk.

"Thank you." She said as she pulled out a chocolate chip muffin.

"You never bring me anything." Munch said to Fin. "Don't you care?"

"Well I guess he likes her better." Fin retorted. "You never bring me anything either" He pointed out.

Elliot and Olivia ignored the partners normal morning bickering. They stared at each other for a moment. Olivia was the first to look away and continue working. Elliot watched for a moment longer before starting his own work. They fell into their normal routine. Ignoring the tension between them was becoming part of their normal routine.

Both knew it and both hated it.


	6. chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**( 3 Months Earlier)**

Olivia handed Elliot his plate of pizza and jumped up on her counter. "Nothin better than pizza and beer after a long day." She said before tilting the bottle back.

Elliot copied her. "Make that a long week." He stuffed half the pizza in his mouth. Olivia smiled. "What?"

"Nothing..." She said sweetly. "You're such a guy." She said under her breath.

"And you're such a girl." He countered. "Come on...stuff half that in your mouth." He dared

"What?" She laughed

"Take this piece of pizza..." He lifted a piece, "...and stuff it in your mouth."

"No, why?" She pushed it away.

"Because, you eat like a bird." He picked at the piece of pizza and pulled it apart then put a tiny piece in his mouth. "I bet you can't stuff it in your mouth." He looked at her expectantly.

"I know when I'm being bated." She took a small bite. "And I am not biting."

Olivia saw the mischievous look enter Elliot's eyes. She knew she was in trouble. She tried to jump off the counter but it was to late. Elliot was right in front of her preventing her escape. "Open" he demanded. Olivia kept her mouth shut and shook her head. She tried not to smile either. "Open, or I'll do it for you." He held a peace of pizza directly in front of her mouth. She shook her head again. Elliot let out a sigh. "Fine, we'll do this the hard way." Olivia made one last attempt to free herself, but failed. Elliot was between her legs with one hand on her waist. "Open" she shook her head.

Her eyes widened as she suppressed her laughter. He squeezed her side repeatedly. Olivia regretted that she ever told him she was ticklish on her side. She held back as long as she could, but her mouth eventually opened and her laughter spilled out. She tried to close her mouth, but Elliot had already stuffed half the pizza down her throat. "You're a jerk." she said with a mouth full of pizza.

He handed her a napkin a stepped back. "Well if you didn't make such a big deal about it, we could have had this solved long ago." He said simply, but he had a huge smile on his face.

Olivia threw the napkin full of pizza sauce at him. "You're lucky I like you."

"How bout a movie of your choice?" Elliot started walking to the living room.

"My place, my choice." Olivia said moving to her movie shelf.

"Yeah, but I wont complain."

After the movie ended, they cleared the beer bottles off the table and brought them off the kitchen.

"I cant believe you chose that movie." Elliot whined tossing the bottles in the trash can.

"Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't complain." Olivia pointed out as she jumped up on the counter top. "Besides, Moulin Rouge is a great movie."

"It's a horrible, horrible movie. I cant believe I only had 3 beers. Maybe if I got drunk I could enjoy it more." He indicated towards the refrigerator. "Want to see?"

Olivia laughed. "Shouldn't you be going?" She looked at the stove-top clock. "Its almost midnight." She looked down trying to cover her sadness. "Isn't your family waiting." She tried to cover her disappointment.

Elliot seemed nervous as well. "I told Kathy I was going to be late tonight."

They both started to feel uncomfortable. Sure, this isn't the first time they were together after work, but it is the first time they've been at Olivia apartment this late. Usually they stop to get food or a drink, but Elliot is always home to his family at a decent hour. He only went to Olivia's place if they got off work early. They suddenly felt weird being in each others presence. To them, it felt wrong that they were together.

"Does she know you're here?" Olivia almost whispered

"No" he answered simply

Olivia hopped off her counter. "You should go." She began walking past him with her head down.

Elliot put his arm out in front of her. She stopped before they touched. "Liv..." he didn't know what to say, but he stood in front of her.

"It's okay, you need to get home." She looked at his eyes and plastered on a fake smile.

"I don't think I want to go home yet." He sounded guilty. Olivia looked confused.

Elliot moved closer to Olivia. "What are you doing?" She asked

"Moving closer." he said in a low voice.

"What are we doing." Olivia asked as she hit the counter.

"What do you think we're doing?" he put his hands on the counter on both sides of her. He leaned closer and she leaned back.

"Something wrong." she murmured as his lips came closer to hers. She was looking straight ahead, her eyes not meeting his. She wished she could blame the situation on too many drinks, but she knew they weren't drunk or even on the way to being drunk.

"Stop me." he whispered a mere inch from her face.

Olivie stayed perfectly still except for her eyes. She lifted them to look straight into Elliot's. "Never" she murmured a second before his lips crashed down onto hers.

Olivia opened her eyes. She realized she was in her room, in the dark, and an arm slung around her waist and a body against her back. She tried to move, but the arm tightened. She cocked her head to see the clock. It read 2:57am.

Elliot had always been a light sleeper so he instantly felt the movement against him. He didn't want her to move so he tightened his arm around her bare body. He nuzzled the back of her neck. He smiled when she took a deep breath.

"El...you need to go." she whispered in the dark.

He wasn't sure if he heard her right. "Excuse me?" He asked sitting up.

"I'm not trying to be a jerk." She quickly added. "Its just, what about Kathy? Isn't she expecting you home sometime?" She ran her fingers through her hair. She could see the guilt instantly enter his eyes. "Go home, Elliot." she lightly demanded.

"She knows I'm working late." He tried to defend.

"Until three in the morning?" She questioned. "Elliot, what we did was...was good, great even, but you're married. It was a mistake." She reached down to the floor and picked up their clothes. She handed him his and started putting hers on.

They both dressed in silence, both lost in their own world. Olivia was trying to retrace her steps and figure out how they ended up in her bed. Elliot was thinking about Kathy and what he just did.

Realization hit Elliot. He fell back on the bed and put his head in his hands. "Oh God."

Olivia hit the light. She walked over and sat next to him, but not to close. "It's alright, El. We got caught up in the moment." She was not only trying to convince Elliot, but herself as well. "We had some drinks and things went to far. Nothing has changed. Kathy doesn't need to know." She waited for his reaction. "We can act like nothing has happened."

"Neither of us was drunk." He mumbled. Elliot turned his head to look at her. He captured her in his stare. She couldn't look away. "Is that what you really want?" He asked almost angrily. Before she could answer he was on top of her. "Do you want to act like this never happened?" He brought his lips to her neck and starting trailing kisses all along it.

Olivia lost herself for a moment, but then regained control. "Stop"

"You don't want me to." He continued

"Elliot..." She moaned against her own will.

"Told ya." He had one hand behind her head and the other holding her hand. "You want this as much as I do." He tried to kiss her, but she resisted.

"It doesn't matter what either of us wants. You are married." She stressed the word married. "You have kids that probably want to see their father before going to school." Elliot didn't move. "You know I'm right. Go home." She pushed him up and this time he let her. "I'll see you at work. We can talk then."

**Few weeks later...**

"Hello?" Olivia answered groggily into the phone. "Benson" she added as an afterthought.

_"Hey, sorry I woke you, didn't I?" _Came a cheerful voice.

Olivia winced. "No, its okay. I just got home and fell into bed right away." She explained.

_"Well, I just wanted to hear your voice. But I guess I'll have to wait."_ He sounded disappointed, but understanding. _"Tomorrow?"_

Olivia smiled at his sweetness. "Yeah, I'll call you when I get a break."

_"Okay, until then...goodnight."_

"Bye" Olivia closed her phone and sighed.

A few seconds later she felt the bed move and an arm sling around her waist. "Who was that?" asked the sleepy voice.

"Nobody." She answered a little too quickly.

"Nobody?" He questioned. "Nobody called you at..." He looked at the clock. "...at 1:20 in the am? Who was that Olivia? And why was he calling so late?"

Olivia could hear the calmness in his voice, but the tenseness she could feel from his body told her another thing. She hesitated. "I um...I went out with him a few times." She hoped that was enough, but she knew it wasn't.

"What's his name? How come I haven't heard about him?"

Olivia rolled over so she was facing him. "Elliot, his name is Kevin. I met him at a bar about a few weeks ago and we started seeing each other. We've barely seen each other in the last week. He knows that I work late so that's why he called so late." Elliot could see the annoyance in her eyes. "Satisfied?"

"Right before us..." he muttered. Elliot gave her a side smirk. "Did you sleep with him?" he asked louder.

Olivia sat up in bed and Elliot rolled on his back. She looked over her shoulder. "My sex life is none of your business." Elliot laughed at that. "What I do with who has nothing to do with you, Elliot!"

Elliot was on top of her so fast, Olivia had no time to react. "Look where you are, Olivia! You're naked, I'm naked, and we're in my bed!"

"Yeah, and I'm guessing I wouldn't be here if your family wasn't visiting grandma this week." Olivia spat.

Elliot stared at her for a moment before sitting up. Olivia sat up as well, pulling a sheet up to cover herself as well. "So you're jealous." Elliot whispered, almost to himself.

"I'm jealous?" Olivia asked in disbelief. "Elliot, I'm not the one getting worked up over a phone call!" Olivia pulled the sheet around her more and started to get out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Elliot asked bitterly

"I'm getting dressed and then leaving." Olivia snapped without looking at him.

Elliot quickly got up and stood in front of her, blocking her way. "You're not going anywhere."

"I am going home, Elliot. You can't keep me here." She was clearly done with the conversation.

"Is Kevin going to be there?"

"If I said yes, what would you say?"

Elliot quickly threw his arm around her waist and drew her close to him. She tried to push away but couldn't, so instead, she slapped him across the face. He loosened his grip and she took her chance and pushed past him. She didn't get far because he grabbed her again and pulled her back into him. Olivia knew numerous ways to get away from someone who held her from behind, but at this moment, she couldn't think of any to get away.

With one arm around her midsection and the other holding her arm, Elliot rested his head on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "If you were to say yes, I would have to say that you're trying to prove a point to me. I would say you're just trying to get away from me and go back to your empty apartment." He kissed her pulse point. "I would say that you would do anything to prove that you don't want or need me the way you do right now."

"Screw you!" she elbowed him in the stomach. Before she could pull her arm forward he grabbed her elbow hard enough to bruise and spun her around. "Let go." she seethed.

He slid his free arm around her waist and lifter her up and slammed her back into the wall. "I thought you said screw." He smiled as her eyes sent daggers at him. "I'm just giving you what you want, sweetheart." Elliot's hard, naked body was pressed against tightly against her. The sheet around her failed at covering her up. "Now if you were to say he wasn't going to be there, I don't know what I would say." He nuzzled her neck. "I can't see why you would leave a warm bed, for a cold, empty bed."

Olivia closed her eyes tightly. "Who said this bed was warm." He stopped but didn't move. "Just because theres a body in it, doesn't mean it's warm." He pulled away and looked into her eyes. It was his turn to send daggers. "Good sex is one thing, but after that is a completely different thing."

"Then why do you keep coming back." He let her feet fall to the floor. She pulled the sheet around herself again.

"Why do you?" There bodies touched as they breathed deeply. Both trying to control their anger. They stared at each other. Neither willing to admit anything. Neither took the time to think about it before they attacked each others mouths.

**Present**

Elliot and Olivia were at their lockers getting their things together to go home for the night. It was late and they were the last there. Fin and Munch bailed on the paperwork hours earlier and Cragen left a little while later forcing them to promise they would leave at a decent hour. 12:02am is a decent hour for a pair of insomniacs.

Olivia rested her head against her locker. "I shouldn't have driven in today." She complained. "I don't feel like driving home."

"I know how you feel." Elliot leaned against the lockers. He watched her try to stand up straight and roll her shoulders. He gently took her hand in his. He felt her tense a little more. "Relax" he whispered

"El..." She didn't have the strength to fight him so she let him pull her into the cribs.

He gently pushed her down on the bed and stood behind her. "Just relax." he started to rub her shoulders. "Stay here for the night." he could feel her relaxing. "I am."

"Elliot..."

"Liv, relax and go to sleep." He gently pushed her down and moved to the bunk next to hers. "If either of us wants sex after today, then we need to be admitted."


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Hey you." She whispered sliding up next to him on the couch.

"Hey..." he brought her hand to his lips. "What are you up to?"

"Long day..." She answered. "Same for you, I bet."

Elliot pulled her closer. "You could say that." He then pulled her across his lap and then under him. Her head rested on the arm rest. She squeaked in surprise at his roughness. "You could definitely make it better." His hand moved behind her head and grabbed some of her hair.

"Ow, El...careful." She complained.

"Sorry..." he pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I'll make it up to you." He moved his hand gently up and down her arm.

RRRR

Elliot's eyes slowly opened. He could feel her head resting against his shoulder. He looked over at her and immediately felt guilty. She looked relaxed, comfortable, and happy. She even had a small smile on her lips. He wondered what she was thinking, or dreaming. He slowly sat up and climbed out of bed, careful not to wake her. He made his way to the kitchen. He sat at the kitchen table holding a cup of water in his hands with a bowed head.

Elliot mentally kicked himself. He should feel good not guilty. He felt more tired now than he had in a long time.

He remembered seeing her face as she whispered his name. She felt her shudder and she clenched around him. He small hands gently held his shoulders and he moved in and out of her at a slow pace. He wanted to scream. He wanted to feel her nails on his back. He wanted her on top of him. He wanted to grab her and he wanted her to fight back. The house was empty. The kids were all at their friends for the night. They could do whatever they pleased where ever they pleased.

Elliot leaned back in the chair. He was working himself up. He tried to force himself up and go back upstairs. Back upstairs to his wife, the mother of his children. He knew that wouldn't happen. He knew this was another night where he would sit in the kitchen with only the light over the sink on and think...not just think, but compare.

He thought about Kathy and how she let him take control.

Kathy let him do the work. She would encourage him and tell him how great he was. She would make him feel like he was the best lover in the world with only one touch. That satisfied him for over twenty years. He enjoyed her quietness, her gentleness. It made him feel like her protector, her savior.

But now it was all different.

He thought about Olivia and how she let him work for control.

Olivia moved, she teased, she seduced, and she made him work just for a kiss. But it was always worth it. There was so much passion in every move she made. She was exciting. She was rough, unbreakable...and she treated him like he was unbreakable. He would grab and hold down, squeeze, pull and push. She would do it right back. She would push and pull and scratch and fight for control. He enjoyed her screaming out in ecstasy.

Sometimes, when it was over, they would lie next to each other. They would catch their breath, smile, and look at each other. It that was the first round, they would probably wait a few minutes before one of them decided they wanted more. Other times, they would roll off each other and fight the pull that they had over each other. Sometimes the sex wasn't enough to break the tension between them.

With Kathy, he would roll off of her. She would move to kiss him and then lie back down. Time for bed. She would fall asleep and sometimes he would lie awake longer or fall asleep himself. He was satisfied, she didn't disappoint, but it wasn't the same. There was no tension between them. If there was tension, there would be no way he would even be in bed with her.

Kathy was predictable.

He knew every move to make to excite her. He knew where to put his hands and how to move. She like it slow and gentle.

Olivia was unpredictable.

One touch wouldn't make her tremble. One touch would pike her interest. She liked it different, she like it fast and rough. Nothing twice in one night.

Elliot almost smiled. He has done things with Olivia that he never did before in his life. He was only with 2 other women, girls, before Kathy. The first times are never great, except with Olivia.

Elliot knew he was playing with fire. Olivia was a sin. She was wrong. She was something bad that he should throw away. He should confess.

Kathy was pure. She was good. She is his wife. She is something to be put on a pedestal. He should worship her for putting up with him and the kids. He needed to be the perfect husband to her.

He wouldn't stop and he knew it.

Elliot rested his elbows on the table and brought his hands to his face.

"Elliot" He heard her quiet voice behind him. He turned to him. "Your captain is on the phone." She handed him his cell.

"Hello...okay...address...okay got it...I'll be there soon." He closed his phone. "Kath, I'm sorry, but..." he stood up.

"I know." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'll see you when you get back." She kissed him.

"Goodnight" He whispered before getting ready to head to the crime scene.

RRRR

Elliot and Olivia exited the elevator and headed towards the bullpen. It was 4:45 in the morning and they just finished up at the crime scene. Both were tired from the lack of sleep.

"Are you heading home?" Olivia asked as they walked through the double doors. "Maybe get a few minutes of sleep before the actual work day starts?" She smiled tiredly. They dropped stuff from the crime scene on their desks. Elliot nodded and made sure he had his car keys. Olivia moved towards the stairs. "Well, I'm gonna stay here and get my few minutes." She headed up. "I'll see you in a few hours."

He watched her walk up the stairs and disappear through the door to the cribs. He stood still before walking to the double doors. He stopped before he walked through them. _Go, _his mind demanded. He looked towards the stairs then around the room and then to the stairs again. _GO! _His mind demanded strongly. With one last look around the empty room, he ignored the voice in his head and headed up the stairs.

He quietly opened the door and peered into the room with the bunks. He saw her form lying with her back to the door on the middle bed. "You asleep?" he asked quietly. When he got no answer, he moved in front of her and kneeled down. "Why didn't you answer?" he asked when he saw her eyes looking at him.

Olivia yawned. "It's almost 5 in the morning." She smiled sleepily. "I was hoping you would go away or just go to sleep."

Elliot nodded, "Oh..."

Olivia noticed something was wrong. He was unnaturally quiet all night, or morning. "Are you okay?" He nodded again. Olivia pushed herself up on her elbow. He looked down. She rested her other hand on his cheek. He finally looked at him. "What's going on?"

He placed his hand on hers and brought it to his lips. "Olivia..." he sounded desperate.

Olivia pulled her hand away and sat up. "Elliot, what's wrong?" He pushed himself up off the floor and sat on the bed next to her. He looked down at the floor. Olivia was getting worried. True, he was never the most forward with things on his mind, but he would at least give her some reaction. "El, please...talk to me." she almost begged.

He turned his head to look at her. He didn't move, he didn't touch her. "I want you."

Olivia was taken back by that simple statement that wasn't followed by an action. Usually when he gave her warning like that, he would act within a second the words were out of his mouth. "Elliot..."

"Where were you tonight?"

"What..."

"I can smell the smoke on you. Where were you?" He still didn't look at her. He didn't sound upset or jealous. He sounded defeated. He sounded like he was giving up. Olivia did not like that.

"I was at that bar a few blocks from my place. It's always deserted on Wednesday nights." Her voice was tight.

"I slept with Kathy tonight." He looked from the corner of his at her, at her reaction.

"Oh..." Olivia knew that he still slept with his wife, but she didn't like to hear it.

"After..." Elliot thought he needed to confess, so he was. "After I fell asleep, woke up and headed towards the kitchen. It was hard to choose a glass of water over a glass of something else, but I managed." He had a sad smile on his face unbeknown to Olivia. His head was down in the dark room. A light came though the small window, but it didn't envelope the room. "I thought about her and what we did and then I thought about you and what we do and..."

"Elliot..." She cut him off. "You told me not to think about it. So why are you?"

"Because you deserve better than this." He stood up quickly and started pacing. "You deserve someone who doesn't come to you when it's convenient." He stopped by the small window and had his back to her. "You need someone who will treat you right."

Olivia stared at his back. She knew he was making sense, but she didn't want to hear it. "Elliot, tell me you want to end this." She stood up and moved so she was near him. "Tell me that you don't want to see me anymore."

He turned to face her. "Olivia...I don't...I don't...God Olivia I don't want this to stop."

Before she knew it his hand was on the back of her neck and pulling her into him. His other hand wrapped around her waist and lifted her up. He pushed her back against the wall as she wrapped one arm around his neck. The other hand went for his pants. His hand did the same.

They attacked each other's mouths. Both were barely breathing, but they didn't care. They didn't care that the door was unlocked, they didn't care that someone could walk in and see him holding her against the wall with a slip of light cascading though the window. They didn't care what happened at this point.

They didn't care

RRRR

I have no idea where this is going!

Review please!!


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Mmm..."

"Come on." he shook her gently. "It's time to wake up."

"Not yet." she murmured, her eyes still closed.

"Come on, Liv." He shook her a little harder.

She swatted his hand away. "A few more..." she opened her eyes. "Ahh..." she squeaked when she saw Fin's face leaning over her.

"Woah, calm down, baby-girl." Fin set his hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Olivia looked around the room and saw Munch waking Elliot up and getting the same reaction.

"What's with you two?" Munch asked as Elliot swung his legs over the side of the bed.

They stole a glance at each other before Elliot answered. "Nothing...what do you expect after sleeping on these pieces of cardboard?"

Munch and Fin excepted the answer. They all knew how uncomfortable the beds were. "Cragen wants an update on last...this morning. He's in his office waiting." The two walked out of the room and left Elliot and Olivia alone.

"I thought it was you waking me up."

"Me too."

"Liv, last night..." His voice was quiet. "I didn't want to do that." He admitted. "I wanted to end this." Olivia nodded. "I wanted you to end this."

"I know." She whispered.

"We should end this."

Olivia wiped her eyes. "We need to end this." She stood up. "It's killing both of us."She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "We need to get downstairs."

She walked to the door and placed her hand on the door knob. Elliot came up behind her and rested his hand on hers, preventing her from turning it. She looked up at his eyes. He slowly bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She dropped her hand from the door and placed it on his cheek. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. She gave a small smile before opening the door and walking out. He was right behind her.

They entered Cragen's office and listened to him, Munch, and Fin talk about the new case. They interjected with their information and continued on without anyone knowing anything that happened between them upstairs or the past months.

EOEOEOEOEO

"Benson, Stabler...good job on this case." Cragen said coming out of his office. Olivia and Elliot looked up from their desks at their captain. "Take the night off, you deserve it. I'll see you in the morning." He headed back to his office before either of them could protest.

Cragen noticed the subtle changes in his detectives. They worked together as well as ever, but that was all they did. They didn't go out for drinks or dinner after work and their conversations were always work related. He couldn't think of what happened between them. He watched them get their things together and head towards their lockers. They walked in tune with each other, but they couldn't be further apart. They barely looked at each other. If they did catch the others eye, they would immediately tense up and try to escape.

Cragen watched as they put their jackets on and get out their separate car keys. He opened his office door. "Benson, Stabler, can I talk to you before you leave." He waved them in the office. He missed the look of panic that crossed their eyes. He could hear Munch make a sarcastic remark on being in trouble with dad.

Olivia walked through the door first and took a seat in the chair. Elliot came in a minute later and rested against the wall behind her. They couldn't see each other's faces, but he had a clear view.

"What's up, sir?" Olivia finally asked. She looked towards him, but he could tell she wasn't looking at him.

Cragen saw her hands rested in her lap. She was gently fidgeting her fingers together. Elliot leaned against the wall with his arms tensely crossed. Cragen could see the stiffness residing in both his detectives. That proved his suspicions right. Something was wrong or his detectives would be sitting, relaxed, in front of him.

He leaned back in his chair. "Is everything alright between the two of you?" Olivia quickly looked down and Elliot stood up a little straighter.

"What do you mean, Captain? Everything is fine." Elliot stated. He sounded way to formal.

"Don't give me that." Cragen almost snapped. "You two barely talk to each other, let alone look at each other. Look at the two of you. You are uncomfortable being in the same room together." He stood up and walked to the other side of his desk and leaned against it. He wasn't far from Olivia. He saw her hold her hands in an attempt to stop fidgeting and Elliot let his arms fall to the side to release some tension. "What's going on?" He asked.

Olivia was the first to look at him. She spoke softly and slowly. "There's just been some...things going on in my personal life, sir." She stole a glance at Elliot. "I didn't realize I was taking it out on, Elliot."

Cragen looked at Elliot expectantly. "Things at home are a little off. I guess we're both hitting a rough patch." Elliot tried to smile, but it was obviously forced.

Cragen nodded his head. "If either of you ever needs to talk..." They both nodded their understanding. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He watched them walk out of his door then to the elevator. That was a load of bull, he thought.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Once the elevator doors closed Elliot and Olivia let a breath they didn't know they were holding.

Elliot fell against the wall. "That was..."

"Scary?" Olivia filled in.

"Yeah, scary..." Elliot looked at her. She was watching the numbers on the elevator go down. "So...uhh...how have you been?" They both realized his blatant attempt to pry.

"Fine, and you?"

"Fine" he answered in the same cryptic fashion

She looked at him. "We're screwed." She mumbled. The doors the the first floor opened and she began to walk out.

"Isn't your car in the garage?" He asked

She stopped and looked at him. "I took a cab in this morning." She said simply. _Not going with him, not going with him. _She repeated this mantra over and over in her head.

_Don't offer a ride, don't offer a ride. _He repeated in his head. "I'll give you a ride." _Dammit._

Just then a flash of light was seen and then a crash of thunder was heard. Seconds later rain could be heard pelting the ground outside.

"Dammit" they whispered in unison, though they didn't hear the other.

Olivia looked at her shoes then out the precinct doors. "Come on, Liv." Elliot gently tugged her wrist. "I'll give you a ride."

Olivia nodded and got back into the elevator. Both were uncomfortable going down to the basement level and the garage. Purely by chance, they hadn't been alone together in over 5 months.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

The car ride was not only longer than normal because of the downpour of rain, but just the feeling of it was longer. No words were spoken for 20 minutes and there was at least another 20 more minutes of driving. 40 minutes sitting in an uncomfortable silence is a long time.

10 minutes later and sitting in a row of cars, Elliot broke the silence. "So,um...what have you been up to?" He asked, but kept his eyes front.

Olivia smiled at his lame attempt to start a conversation and kept her eyes focused out of her window. "Nothing much."

Elliot stole a glance at her. He could see her wringing her fingers together. "What's his name?" He asked calmly.

Olivia head snapped towards him. "How...how did you know?"

The car moved a little bit. Elliot smiled sadly. "You just told me."

Olivia's head fell back against the headrest. "Nice job, detective." She turned to look out the window again.

"So what's his name?"

Olivia let a long breath. "Jake"

"How long?"

"A month...a little more maybe."

"Where did you meet him?"

"Elliot...stop." she looked at him as the car moved a few feet. One more exit and they would be out of traffic.

"Just trying to get to know the guy who stole your heart."

She let out a humorous laugh. "We probably wont last much longer. I didn't lie about personal problems. What about you?"

"What about me?" He knew what she was asking, he just didn't want to answer.

"Problems at home? Is that true?"

"I've been sleeping on the couch for a few weeks." Elliot didn't want to talk about this, but he knew he didn't have a choice. He started it meaning he would have to see it through.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What happened"? She wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

Elliot hesitated a moment. "We've been fighting more later. She's tired of me not being home enough." He paused. He had to tell her, it would come out eventually. "The other night...Kathy asked me to do something that I'm not sure I can do."

Olivia was worried now. She sat up a little straighter and turned her body towards him. "El, what's wrong?"

They were now only a few blocks from Olivia's apartment. "She said that she would divorce me if I didn't start working less. She wants me to leave SVU and get some other job. She says that I have to be home more because she feels like a single parent." Olivia saw his knuckles clutch the steering wheel tightly. "She wants to take my kids away."

Olivia didn't know what to say...what to do. She could tell that he felt the same way. She didn't bother asking him any more questions. She reached over to the steering wheel and gently grasped his hand. He let go and squeezed her hand back. They didn't let go until he pulled up in front of her place. "El, it will all work out in the end."

He laughed bitterly. "My kids are my life. Without them..."

"I know, but Elliot, Kathy's upset...maybe she just needs some time."

"And if that's not enough?"

Olivia smiled. "Your kids love you. They look up to you. I doubt that they will accept not being able to see you. I've met them all...you have passed on your stubbornness to all of your offspring."

He smiled at her. "Look who's talking about being stubborn."

She smiled back and reached his hand again. "Your children are growing up. They can make their own decisions. I'm sure if the worse happens, you will still have them."

Elliot played with the ring that rested on Olivia's right ring finger. "Thanks Liv." He whispered.

"So what are you doing tonight?"

"I planned on staying at the station and getting work done, but then we got kicked out. Then I planned on going somewhere and doing something to get my mind off everything, but then I had to give you a ride home. Now I don't know what I'm gonna do because...because...i don't even know."

Olivia almost laughed at him. _Don't invite him up._ "Well, it's only 6:30 so why don't you park and come up with me. We can order pizza or something and watch TV for a little while. _Dammit_

_Say no, say no, you have to leave. _Elliot ignored his mind and looked for somewhere to park his car. He spotted an open space up the street and pulled in. "I don't have an umbrella in here so we'll have to run." _Dammit_


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Elliot sat on the couch leaning against the armrest with his ankle resting above his knee holding a near empty bottle of beer. Olivia sat in the chair next to the couch with her feet under her and her own nearly empty bottle of beer in her hand. They both watched the black and white movie that was currently playing.

"Do you ever wish life was like that?" Elliot asked as the credits started playing.

"Like what?" Olivia stood up and went to the kitchen to get two more bottles.

"Black and white." Elliot said as she handed him his new beer. "Clear cut right and wrong. There's no in between, no middle to fight through." He tipped the beer back. "Simple." he said bringing it down from his lips.

Olivia took her own sip. "Sometime...often actually." She mumbled. "Yeah, I wish there wasn't always two or more sides to everything." she said with more conviction.

"Sometimes I wish there was an audience to my life that already knows how its going to end." Elliot shifted to get more comfy. "I want to know what to expect and how to deal with it...or how I do deal with it."

"You wouldn't want to have anyone watching every move you make." Olivia smiled.

"No, but I would like to know if I have a happy ending."

"If you want a life like that..." she pointed to the T.V. "then you already know you have a happy ending." she downed her drink.

"Life's not television, Liv." He downed the rest of his drink as well. He stood and headed to the kitchen. He came back with two more beers for each. He took the empty bottle from her and placed the cold one in her hand. "And even if it were, I would be the character with the unhappy ending."

"Don't say that. Your...ending is far, far away and it will be happy." She assured him

"How do you know."

"Because you deserve it."

They sat in silence for a few moments watching the next movie start. "Why wont it last with Jack?" Elliot asked.

Olivia glared at him. "It just wont with _Jake_." She could tell he expected more even though he didn't say anything. "He's a great guy, there's just nothing there."

He nodded. "You'll find him, Liv."

She laughed humorously. "Yeah" She tipped the bottle back so it was almost vertical and finished the nearly full beer.

Elliot watched. "Don't do that. Your ending is far, far away and it will be happy." he repeated her words.

"I hate when people repeat what I say." she reached for the other bottle but her stopped her.

"Maybe they'll stop repeating when you realize you give good advice and you should follow it." He pulled the bottle away. "You've had enough."

"I've had the same as you." She shot back.

"No, you've had one more that me." He held up his full bottle.

"I'm not drunk." She reached again, but he pulled it further back. "El, give it to me." It always annoyed her when people cut her off. She knew her limit.

He stood from the couch and held the beer above his head. He knew she wasn't drunk, but he didn't want her to end up there. "I think we've both had enough for tonight."

She glared at him, but that quickly turned into a smirk. She quickly bent down to grab the other bottle that was on the table, but he was quicker. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her harder than he intended. She fell against his chest. "Let go." she demanded

"We've had enough. I don't think Cragen will be happy if we're hung over tomorrow." He still didn't let go.

Olivia didn't like to back down, even though she knew he was right. "I'll be fine. You can stop if you want." She tugged her wrist. "Let me go." She said a little louder.

She turned to walk away but he pulled her back. He held her wrist and put his other hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong with you? Why are you having so much when you have to be at work at 7?"

"I don't need you to monitor me, Elliot. I'm a grown woman." She tried once more to pull away but he held tight. She really didn't want to drink more, but she hated when people told her what to do. She was fighting just to fight now.

He pulled her back at the same time she tried to push him away causing them to fall back on to the couch. They stared at each other. Olivia began to push up, but Elliot rested his hands on her waist. She stopped. Her hands rested on both sides of his head. She slowly brought her lips down to meet his. The tentative kiss lasted only a few seconds before it turned into more. He pulled her down so their bodies were flush against each other. She moved a hand behind his head to pull him closer. Elliot moved his hand under her shirt and began pushing it up.

"Damn it" he muttered when he felt the vibration it his pocket. Olivia stayed on him, but shifted to the side. She rested her head on his shoulder and used her free hand to push his shirt up and trace circles on his stomach. "Stabler" he snapped into the phone. "oh, sorry...its been a long day...yeah..." Olivia tried to sit up and he kept an arm securely around her waist. "I'll be home soon. Bye." he snapped the phone closed. "I'm sorry." he said lamely

"I know. It's okay...we can't do this anyway." His grip loosened and she stood up. She cleaned up as he got his stuff together.

"Liv..." He said before he opened her door. She looked at him. "Please...don't drink anymore."

She shook her head slightly. "Go home, Elliot." she snapped

He glared at her angrily before opening the door and slamming it shut behind him. Olivia looked at the bottles on the table. She huffed before she headed into her bedroom.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOE

"Benson, where's your partner?" Cragen snapped as he walked out of his office. Olivia looked up and could hear in his voice that they did something wrong. She prepared herself for the verbal lashing that was coming. At least she wasn't hungover or the oncoming ream would be much worse.

"I...uh...I don't know, sir. He should be here soon." She ran through her mind everything that they did that was not exactly by the books. "Is something wrong?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, something is wrong." he snapped.

Munch and Fin sat in their desks behind the irate captain and watched with amused smiles. Olivia saw them and would say something if Cragen would just let it go. Yeah right. "Sir..."

He cut her off and she stayed perfectly still with her hands under her desk. "Why is our perp from the Whitman case crying police brutality?" Olivia was about to answer, but he continued. "What were you thinking? This case is shaky enough as it is, we don't need any extra help screwing it up." He yelled. Olivia knew to let him continue until he was done or it would be much worse. He would start using words like 'not leaving' and 'desk duty'. "I wouldn't be so upset if it was a slap on the head, but there are noticeable marks...there is proof! What the hell happened?"

_Damn....what happened 3 weeks ago? _Olivia thought to herself. "Sir, he got into Stabler's face and...he wouldn't move back. Elliot used necessary force to restrain him and Daniels fought back. I...tried to stop it but he started to fight me." She couldn't tell if he believed her or not. "Daniels has a few small bruises that are barely noticeable. He's drowning and he's trying to grab a life saver."

"Well he's making a big deal about it. Don't be surprised if you get a visit from IAB." He wasn't yelling, but he was clearly on the edge of yelling again if the opportunity showed itself. He turned to go back to his office just as Elliot walked in. "Detective Stabler, how nice of you to join us."

"Sir..."

Cragen cut him off. "Your partner just informed me of what happened with Daniels and why he is throwing out words like police brutality around. Care to confirm her story?" He saw Elliot's eyes move to Olivia's. He knew they would get a whole conversation in within seconds by just looking at each other. He also knew that they covered for each other more than they should. "I'm over here, Detective." Elliot's head snapped back to his boss. "Well?"

"Things got out of hand. We did what we had to do." Elliot lied through his teeth. "We didn't do anything unnecessary. "

"I'm sure." He stalked passed Elliot back to his office. "Ass duty...one week, both of you." he called over his shoulder before slamming his door.

Olivia fell back in her chair and and Elliot wiped his hands over his face. "What the hell was that about?" Elliot asked sitting down.

Olivia stood and headed to the coffee. "Daniels...you beat him up for talking about your daughters." Olivia informed quietly when he came next to her. "I thought you got my text?"

"Your puzzle you mean? I was thinking about stopping at the coffee shop and decoding it, but I was already here and heard you getting in trouble with dad."

"You try inconspicuously texting under your desk while getting yelled at."

Elliot smiled. "What did you say?"

"We used necessary force to control him." She smiled. "I left out the part about you beating him up and me standing back and watching."

"I smacked him around a bit." Elliot defended. "I didn't beat him up."

"Yeah, well..."

"Hey why don't you two stop getting your stories straight and start working." Munch called over his shoulder.

They looked at each other before heading back to their desks. The night before being wrapped in a box and hidden for the time being.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEOE

An agent from IAB left after talking to Elliot and Olivia separately. Elliot was first so he was at his desk pretending to work when Olivia walked in. She flopped down in her chair and picked up her pen for show. IAB didn't just ask them about Daniels, but everything pertaining to them in any way, shape, or form. Even though IAB hated them and they hated IAB, they only got a slap on the wrists. Their desk duty was extended, but they still had their jobs. Tension filled the room as the two worked.

Munch and Fin looked across to Elliot and Olivia and then each other before standing up and heading out of the room.

Both Elliot and Olivia continued to stare at open files on their desks as their coworkers left the room.

To the surprise of everyone, nothing happened for hours. When Cragen announced that everyone could leave for the day, the four detectives stood and headed up to the locker room. Munch and Fin got their stuff together with their usual banter while Elliot and Olivia silently headed to their lockers. Munch and Fin looked at their friends before leaving the room.

"At least we're going to get out of here at a decent time." Olivia said as he put on her coat. "That's a plus."

"Yeah" he muttered back.

"Elliot..."

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said closing his locker. "Night" he whispered as he headed for the door.

"Night" Olivia whispered in the empty room


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next few weeks went by. As they moved forward, the tension between Elliot and Olivia began to grow. At first they stopped going out after work together. If they did other people were always around. Neither seemed to want another repeat of the night on Olivia's couch. Conversations then lessened. Twenty minute conversations were cut down to a few sentences. The sentences then turned in words. It was like a game. Who can use the least amount of words? They said what needed to be said when working a case and then stopped. Munch and Fin watched this happen and would try to make things better. But no matter how many they went to a bar or went to dinner or even started up a conversation, nothing got better. It got worse.

Munch and Fin stood in the squadroom looking between Elliot and Olivia. The two detectives were toe to toe with each other.

"Don't you dare tell me I don't know how to do my job!" Olivia seethed.

"Well maybe if you would pay attention to the evidence I wouldn't have to!" Elliot yelled back.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Cragen yelled coming out of his office. He came up next to them. "Back off." He ordered. They didn't budge. "Back off!" He pushed them both back. "What's with you two?" Olivia shook her head and sat in her desk. Elliot stood still with his arms crossed over his chest. They both stared at the floor. "I want answer. What is going on?" Still neither one spoke. "You're both off this case. I want..." He didn't get to finish his sentence because Elliot turned and head towards the stairs. Once he was out of view he focused on Olivia. "Benson, why did it look like the two of you were going to get into a fist fight?"

Olivia looked at her boss and then upstairs. "I don't know sir, but I'm going to find out."

"Benson I want both of you out of here. And don't come back until Monday."

With that Olivia headed up the stairs.

Cragen turned to his other two detectives. "We were talking about the case and all of a sudden they're fighting about the other not being able to do the job." Munch filled in.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

"What was that?" Olivia yelled as she burst into the cribs. "Since when don't you trust me to do my job? Since when am I incompetent?" She watched him as he paced between the lockers. "Elliot?"

Elliot kept pacing. "That was me trying to get you to pay attention to the evidence!"

"The evidence points directly to Megan sodomizing and murdering Ashley. All because her boyfriend wanted to go out with Ashley and not her!"

Elliot stopped in front of her. "The girl is seriously disturbed and needs help."

"She wanted revenge!"

"She's a kid. She doesnt know anything!"

Olivia looked at him like he was crazy. "She's seventeen! She knows the difference between right and wrong!"

"She should admitted or something! Not sent away for life!"

"Why the hell are you trying to protect her! What? Would you understand if Kathy found out you were cheating on her with some...body?" Olivia stopped and then let out a bitter laugh. "Should I be worried?"

Elliot let out his own bitter laugh. "Not everything is about you, ya know." He looked at her and gave her a fake smile. "And she would probably ruin your life instead of taking it."

"What's going on, Elliot? You and Kathy have a fight so you're taking it on me?" Olivia lowered her voice, but it still held anger in it.

"Like she would even talk to me right now. I haven't heard from her in a week." He leaned against the lockers and closed his eyes.

"You haven't been home in a week?" She questioned confused. "What? Are you to good to call your own wife and not tell her you're coming home? Want to keep all that rage piled up inside so you can let it out on me?" Olivia let out a tiny scream when she felt herself being swung around into a locker. "What do you think you're doing?" She screeched.

Elliot had his hands on her upper arms and her back pressed against the lockers. "She left me!" He yelled in her face. "Kathy kicked me out of the house last week and I've been staying in a crappy hotel since then!" Elliot waited for her to say something. When she didn't respond he roughly pushed away from her.

Olivia stood still for a moment. She didn't know what to say. "Elliot," He was on her again. This time his fingers dug painfully into her arms. "Ow! Elliot, let me go!"

"Shut up!" He yelled. "You wanted to know so I'm telling you! She was tired of me choosing the job over her and the family. She said she waited long enough for me to make a decision so she made it for me. She's drawing up divorce papers and we have a meeting to discuss custody next week!" Olivia fought against him but he held her in place. "She said that she couldn't go on like this and she wanted out. She even pointed out that I'm not invested in this marriage anymore. And I know that I haven't been there. But I've been trying to make it better. You know what I've been doing for the last few weeks?" He paused for a moment like he was waiting for her to answer, but she knew he wasn't. "I was looking into other job options. I was going to leave for her. I owe her that much because God knows I screwed up when I decided to start screwing you!" He finished and he would be surprised if the people downstairs didn't hear the last part.

"Let. Me. GO!" Olivia screamed pushing him back. She watched as he stumbled back and fell over the bench the ran down the row of lockers. They stared at each other until Olivia broke eye contact and headed for the door. "Get your hands off me!" She yelled when she felt as arm wrap around her waist.

He spun her around away from the door then let her go. Olivia took a few steps back and watched him with fire burning in her eyes. "You came up here for a reason. You wanted to talk. So talk. What's on your mind, Olivia?" He asked sarcastically.

Olivia stared at him. She couldn't believe how he was acting. No doubt there would be bruised on her arms in the morning. She took a deep breath before she spoke. "I'm sorry your marriage fell apart. I'm sorry if I played a role in it, but I will not let you blame me for it. I will not let you yell at me and criticize me in front of the whole department. And if you ever treat me like this again I will go to Cragen." She looked at him for a few more seconds before walking past him. He didn't bother turning around. Before she left she said, "Cragen doesn't want us back here until Monday." With that she slammed the door behind her."

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

That night found both of the detectives in the same situation only in different bars. They wanted to forget that day. It was Friday night so the bars were relatively full. The differences were clear though. Elliot was well on his way to blacking out while Olivia nursed her second beer between her hands. Elliot sat in the far corner out of the way of everybody and had body language that alerted people that he did not want to be bothered. Olivia sat in a seat that was in the middle of the bar trying her best to entertain the man who was clearly interested in her.

An hour later Elliot was still working on his drinks and Olivia was walking into her new friends apartment. As soon as the door closed behind them they were on each other.

A few hours after that Olivia awoke to the sound of her cell phone. She clumsily picked it up, wondering who would be calling her. "Hello?"

"Um hi detective, this Mike, the bartender from The Hole?" He waited for her to recognize who he was. I have Elliot here who can barely walk. Do you think you can come and get him?"

Olivia let out a sigh. Of course he would be getting drunk. That's what she would be doing if it weren't for whoever was lying next to her now. She wanted nothing more than to just hang up, but instead she said, "Yeah, I'll be there soon." She stood up and started putting on her clothes.

"Leaving so soon?"

"Um, yeah. My friend needs to be picked up from a bar. I'm the lucky one to go get him." She answered, looking for her shoes.

"Him, huh?" He got up and wrapped a sheet around his lower body. He stood in front of her before she could walk out the bedroom door. "Not the same him who gave you those bruises on your arms, right?"

She looked at her arms and saw a few angry marks. "Uh, no." She lied. She leaned up and kissed him. "I had a good time."

"So good that I can call you?"

Olivia smiled. "I don't think that would be a good idea." She answered sadly.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Elliot sat at the bar with his shoulders slumped over his glass. The bartender took his phone and wouldn't give it back. Elliot knew who he called. Although he wanted to leave, he realized he couldn't. When he stood up the room spun so he sat right back down. In the background Elliot could here Mike greet her. He finished the rest of his drink and then stood up. Making sure he held on tightly to the bar, he headed over to her.

"Evening" he slurred.

"Morning" Olivia shot back. "Thank you" she said when Mike handed her his phone. "Can you walk?" Elliot pushed himself off the bar just to start swaying. "Okay." She threw his arm around her shoulders and headed out of the bar.

Once they were outside Elliot spoke, "Just get me a cab and I'll be out of your way."

"Elliot, it's almost two in the morning." Olivia reasoned. "We're not on one of the busiest streets. A cab wont be around for awhile. " She explained on the way to her car.

"I don't need your help." he slurred.

"Then walk on your own." She challenged. She waited for him to push off her. "Thought so." They slowly moved the rest of the way to the car. Olivia got out her keys and maneuvered them to the lock on the passengers side. It was a little difficult with a man twice her size leaning on her with nearly all his weight. It became even more difficult when all his weight ended up on her when he pushed her up against the door. "Elliot?" She wasn't sure if he passed out or not. "Elliot, what are you doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" He asked. Olivia barely understood him what with his slurred words and his face buried in her neck. "You're so tense."

"Elliot stop." She tried to push his hands away from her but he was persistent. "Elliot we're not doing this." It was amazing how this man could barely walk but he was able to keep her firmly pressed against her own car. "We are not going to do anything tonight."

"Tonight?" he questioned looking at her.

"Ever" she snapped right before his lips crashed against hers. "Stop it." She pushed him back, still careful not to knock him down.

"Why not?"

"You're drunk!"

He smirked before he tried to kiss her again. She pushed back. "We've had drunk sex before." He pointed out.

"Yeah well that was before..."

"Before what?" He laughed. "Before I got divorced?" He stood back and wavered for a moment. "You have weird timing."

Olivia stared at him for a moment. "Just get in the car." She unlocked the door and opened it for him before walking to her side. By the time she pulled out of the parking spot he was passed out against the window. She started to head the way towards his house when she remembered that he was staying at a hotel. She gently shook him. "Elliot? El, come on wake up for a minute." When he didn't show any sign of waking up she let out a sigh. There were at least four hotels within walking distance of the bar. She let a breath and turned down the street that would take them back to her apartment.


	11. Chapter 9

thank to everyone who is reading and commenting on this story. I love reading your reviews. And anything, good or bad, is welcome.

Enjoy!!

**Chapter 9**

It was a bright, sunny morning that welcomed Elliot when he opened his eyes. He immediately wished it was a rainy, cloudy dark day. He groaned and rolled over to get away from the offending rays only to fall to the floor. "What the hell?" he mumbled grabbing his already pounding head. Once his vision cleared and the room stopped spinning he got to his knees and looked around. He groaned some more when he realized where he was.

A few minutes later he stood up and made his way towards the bathroom. Pulling out the aspirin bottle he threw a few pills in his mouth and washed them down with some water. He walked out of the bathroom and stood in the middle of her apartment. He could leave. Or he could wait until she wakes up and make an already awkward situation even more awkward.

His decision was made when she emerged from her bedroom. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it when she walked by him without any acknowledgment that he was standing in the middle of her apartment. He watched as she made coffee and opened the rest of the blinds. He wanted to smile when he saw that she left the blinds that would let the sun wake him open. The want to smile quickly vanished when he saw her pick up his belongings off the table. She walked over to him and shoved his things into his hands with a sarcastic smile. "Have a good weekend." She then continued past him to her bedroom.

"Olivia..." She turned around to look at him expectantly. "I'm sorry."

"For..."

He looked at her honestly. "For everything."

She crossed her arms and leaned against her bedroom doorframe. "So, you're sorry for yelling at me in front of the entire precinct and telling me that I can't do my job. You're also sorry for blaming me for your failed marriage. Then you are probably sorry for tossing me around in the cribs and leaving nice little bruises on my arms." Elliot finally looked at her arms. "Yeah, but don't worry I'm fine."

"Olivia..."

"Oh are you going to try to apologize for the call I got from the bartender last night? I'm sorry this morning. You know, when you decided to drink yourself to death and then promptly trying to get in my pants right before blacking out. Do you remember that part? I had to pretty much drag you up here." She could tell he was working through everything that she just told him. Confusion, regret, fear, worry, and sadness all crossed eyes. Olivia wanted to say something, but she didn't know what, especially when the final emotion that crossed over his features was anger. Of course, anger was the one he decided to voice. "Elliot." Her voice warned when he started to stalk up to her. He stopped a foot from her.

"That's a long list you came up. How long were you working on it? Because if I remember correctly, you also ridiculed me and put me down in front of all our co-workers." He raised his eyebrows. "Remember that? I also remember you coming to look for me to talk to me, and yet, all you did was yell and blame me. You also hit a sore spot. Remember that part, partner? Telling me that I was to good to call home? Oh and who could forget that part from even earlier when you said that my judgment was clouded by my dying marriage. That hit a little to close to home. I agree, you weren't the cause of the divorce, but you definitely played a factor. Not that Kathy said anything about it." He tried to read her but she put on a stoic mask. So he continued. "And yes, I do apologize for the bruises. I should never have done that and I regret it. But I'm sure my ass has a nice bruise on it from falling over that bench!" He paused to regain control of his voice. "Don't try to put the blame all on me, Olivia. You know I'm not the only one in deep here." He smiled. "I'm also sorry for disturbing you last night. Was your new friend upset that you had to leave so early?"

"How...?"

"Please, you wreak of a bar and cologne. You should let him know not to wear so much or take a shower." He was almost done. "Oh and me trying to sleep with you. You say that I need to be apologetic for that too. Well, I was just going by pattern. You have always been there for me in the past to relieve the tension, why not now. Even if you are the cause of it." He finished quietly.

"You're a bastard. Just leave." her voice was quiet and defeated. She tried to walk by him, but he stood in her way. He was careful not to touch her. "Elliot, nothing is going to be solved today so just go." This time he let her pass.

"You know, you always do this."

Olivia stopped by her counter and rested her elbows on it. "Do what?"

Elliot walked over to her and stood next to her. "Walk away. Something doesn't go your way so you run. It's your defense."

"Well thanks Dr. Stabler. How much will it be for this session?"

He let out a loud sigh. "You want me to talk to you so much about my problems, but when it comes to you, you just stay behind your wall. How's that fair?"

"I talked and then you talked. Nothing was solved."

She moved to the coffee maker and opened the cabinet above it. She grabbed one cup. She started to close the door, but Elliot stopped her. He grabbed another cup and the coffee pot. He poured the hot liquid in both of there cups before going to the refrigerator for the creamer. She let out her own sigh and added sugar to both cups. She lifted herself up onto the counter while he rested up against the opposite counter. Silence filled the room. They made it halfway through their first coffee when Elliot decided to speak.

"Nothing was solved because we didn't talk." His voice was calm.

"What do you call what we did then?" Her voice was just as calm.

"I would call that yelling and playing the blame game."

"Elliot, can we please not do this now?"

"Do what? Figure out what our problem is? When do you propose we do do that?"

"I don't know. Just...not now."

"Look, Olivia," He set his cup down. "I know we've been at each other's throats for awhile now and I know you know it too. I want to figure out why and change it, make it better."

She gave a small smile. "Since when do you want to talk out our problems? What happened to punching things?"

"I don't want to ruin anything of yours." He gave a smile as well, but it quickly disappeared. "What's your problem with me?"

"You always were to the point." She muttered. "I don't know. All I know is that this last week was hell and yesterday proved it."

"My wife left me, Olivia. You have to understand that. My family is gone." He tried to reason.

"I understand that, but Elliot, you can't take it out on me. You can't shut me out of your life and only let me in when you need to yell at someone."

"So that's it?" He was a little confused. "It seems like a little reason. Too little to turn into what happened yesterday."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"So what was yesterday?"

"I don't know." She fidgeted with her hands. "I'm sorry about what I said...about your marriage." She said quietly.

"Thank you." he replied. She nodded her head. "I'm sorry about your arms."

She laughed. "Thank you."

"I really didn't..."

"Elliot, don't worry about it." She looked at him. "That wasn't what bothered me the most."

He waited for her to continue. "What did?"

"Everything we said was in some way true. You basically told me I didn't know how to do my job." She finished looking at the ground.

"Olivia, there is nobody I trust more to do this job." Olivia lifted her head to look at him. "I was upset that you weren't seeing my point of view. I know she's guilty, but there are so many holes in this case. I was trying to get everything out so we wouldn't be surprised by anything." She looked away halfway through his answer. He walked over to her and gently turned her head to look at him again. "There is no one I would rather work with. No matter how much a pain in the ass you are."

"Yeah, well, I am a good partner." She smiled

He smiled back "Are we okay?"

"Yeah, but not if we're this close." She whispered as she looked at his lips.

"Familiar position." he muttered.

"Yeah"

He leaned in and waited for her response. When she showed no sign of moving or talking, he kissed her. He gently held her chin as the kiss deepened. He smiled as he pulled back.

"Was that okay?" he asked softly.

"Definitely" she put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. His lips worked around her neck. "This is not a good idea." she whispered as he moved between her legs. "This never helps." She said as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Elliot ran his hands down her arms and then rested them on her waist. "Don't think about it, Olivia. Just go with it." He lifted her up and they made their way to the bedroom. Elliot stopped in the middle of the apartment. "And you are most definitely going to pay for leaving that one window open."

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Elliot slowly opened his eyes for the second time that day. This time was considerably better. Instead of rolling off a couch, he stayed in place. He felt her breath lightly on his chest. She was nestled against his with on of his arms around her and resting on her back. He smiled when she tilted her head up to look at him.

"Hi"

"Hi"

Olivia looked at the clock. "I can't remember the last time I stayed in bed until two."

"I know, but it was a hectic night and morning." Olivia sat up and ran her hands through her hair. "What?" Elliot pushed himself up and rested against the headboard.

"What, what?" She asked looking over her shoulder.

"I know when somethings off with you." Elliot said

"Nothings off."

"You regret it." He said quietly. Olivia could see him tense up. "That's it, Isn't it?"

"No!" Olivia replied strongly. "I just...Elliot, we've done this before. We fight and then we sleep together. Then we fight some more. Nothing is ever solved." She held her head in her hands. She could feel him swing his legs off the bed and stand up. "What are you doing?" she asked as he stood up and got dressed.

He dressed in silence. "I'll see you on Monday." He said as he walked out her bedroom door.

Olivia watched him leave. She fell back on her bed when she heard the front door close.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Monday morning came and Cragen called the two feuding detectives into his office.

"You two need a break from each other. I'm not splitting you up but for the next few weeks I'm going to switch it up a little." He waited for their reaction. They barely moved. "Anything you want to say?" Again there was nothing. "Stabler, go with Munch. He has the information you need." He watched Elliot leave. He stopped Olivia as she stood up. "Olivia, what's going on?"

"Nothing." She mumbled.

"Liv, something is going on. Stop lying to me and tell me whats going on."

"Sir, I guess we're just going through a rough patch. We're working it out." She tried to smile as she stood again and turned for the door.

Cragen leaned back in his chair. "Last I checked, sleeping with your partner doesn't solve anything." Olivia let her hand rest on the doorknob and rested her head against the door. He came up around her. "How long?"

"Captain..."

"Damn it Olivia, how long have you two been sleeping together?"

"Awhile, months I guess. How do you know?" He voice was tiny as she turned and leaned against the door. She didn't look at him.

"I guess it's those detective skills I picked up over the years. Was it worth it?"

"Worth what?"

"Ruining what you had? Look at the two of you. You can barely stand in the same building. What about his family?" he questioned.

Olivia ignored that. "So you really are going to split us up."

Cragen moved back and leaned against his desk. "You two are the best I have. You have the highest rate out of any other partnership I know of. To split you up permanently would be stupid. But if it keeps going like this I'm not going to have a choice. Work it out. Do something to get your lives in order and then come talk to me. We'll go from there." He turned to sit back in his chair. "Dismissed."

Olivia slowly left his office. Elliot was already gone. She sat in her desk and tried to work on her paperwork.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

A month went by and everyone could tell that Benson and Stabler were trying to be civil. Olivia told Elliot that Cragen knew. She explained what was said and Elliot excepted it. Cragen doubted that they slept together again. At the moment, he was talking to Munch and Fin while Elliot sat at his desk starting up his computer. Olivia entered a few minutes later and headed straight for the stairs. She seemed disheveled. Cragen started to follow her, but Elliot stood up. Cragen nodded.

When Elliot got upstairs Olivia was putting her things in her locker.

"Everything okay?" he asked tentatively.

"I don't want to talk to you right now." she said without any emotion. She closed her locker and headed for the door.

"Whats wrong. Everyone downstairs can tell somethings wrong."

"Elliot..."

"Olivia"

She huffed and looked him in the eyes. "I'm late."

"Your actually ten minutes early. And I'm sure Cragen wont..."

"No, Elliot, I'm late." She said slowly.

"What are you..." Elliot's eyes grew wide. "What?" he whispered. "How can you...what...I don't...Olivia?"

"Yeah"

It was silent. And then Elliot asked the question no man should ever ask. "Who's is it?" His question was immediately followed by her hand pulling back to smack in the face. "Don't you even try that." He said as he grabbed her wrist. "You slept with a guy the night before we slept together. Who knows what you've been doing for the last month."

"Oh that's nice. You calling the mother of your potential child a whore. What great stories this will make." She tore her wrist away from him. "You were the last one I slept with. I'm on the pill. Unlike with us, I used a condom with him." She explained. Even though she hated his reaction, she understood it. It did seem like he regretted it after he said it.

Silence filled the room again.

"What are you going to do?"

"Now, I'm going to go downstairs and get through the day. Then I'm going to go home and take a pregnancy test."

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

comments please!!


	12. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

The day went by uneventfully for the detectives. They sat and worked on paperwork while Munch and Fin went out to a new crime scene. Neither of them cared that Cragen was purposefully keeping them at their desks. One thing was on their mind.

Baby.

At least, the possibility of a baby.

Their baby. Together. Forever.

Elliot kept thinking how this would ruin his family life once and for all. Kathy would do everything in her power to keep him away. His kids would probably stay away on their own. His weekends with them would be gone. All for another kid. A potential kid. She said she was late, not pregnant. Elliot hated thinking that, but a kid would ruin more. I child is not a solution.

Olivia kept thinking that this is not how she wanted to get pregnant. She didn't want to raise a kid on her own. She knew that Elliot didn't want it. He made it clear up in the locker room. She wanted a kid with a man that she loved and a man that she could spend the rest of her life with. That's what this child deserved. Elliot already had four children. What did he need another for. Olivia hated not knowing. She was late. That's it. She needed to get home. Luckily, Cragen stepped out of his office.

"Go home. You've barely moved all day." Looking at the clock it was just past six.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Olivia parked her car in its normal spot in front of her building, but instead of going inside she walked down the street. She made it to the corner store five minutes later. Ten minutes later she was on her way back to her apartment. She turned on the walkway that led to the building door and stopped. Elliot was sitting on the front step with his head bowed down. She took a deep breath and started to walk. He looked up when he heard footsteps. There was no emotion on either of their faces. The elevator was silent as it lifted them up to her floor. Once they were in her apartment, they stood still. A few minutes later Elliot went to sit on the couch and Olivia took the bag and headed into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later Olivia came out. Keeping it covered , she set the test on the table and sat down next to Elliot. They stared at it.

"Olivia"

"Don't." She snapped. She took a deep breath again. "Don't say anything until we know what that says."

So they sat in silence. Neither moved. When the time was up, Olivia reached out with a shaking hand. She picked up the test and looked at it. They both drew in breath. Elliot looked at her.

"Olivia"

"This is good." She quickly stood up and tossed everything into the plastic bag and went to the kitchen to throw it away. She heard Elliot behind her. "Us having a kid? Come on, Elliot. That wouldn't work. It's us. This is good."

Elliot watched as she busied herself with moving things around on the counter. He could see her hands still shaking. She was breathing fast and her hair was covering her face. "Olivia, stop." He touched her hand to stop her movement. "Sometimes the tests are unreliable."

"Well we'll see within the next few days." Elliot could here her voice hitch. "But I know it's right." As she spoke her voice got quieter. "We can't have a child together. I can't have a child right now. What kind of mother would I be?"

She moved to walk by him, but he stopped her with his hands on her shoulders. "You would be a great mother." He forced her to look at him. That's when he saw water in her eyes. "Olivia, you would be a great mother. I know this wasn't planned, but I also know that deep down you wanted that test to be positive."

She tried to move but he held her in place. "Yeah, well it doesn't matter now, now does it?" She looked down. The tears were going to come and all she wanted was for him to leave. Instead, he pulled her to him and held her. A few seconds later her knees buckled and she fell to the floor. Elliot held her as she went down. "Oh God." she mumbled right before the tears came.

Elliot sat with her in the middle of her kitchen for the next hour as she cried. He hated himself. As mush as she tried to hide it, he knew that she wanted this child more than anything. He wanted so bad for her not to be pregnant earlier. He didn't think he would be ready for another kid. But sitting there, on the floor with one of the strongest women he knew breaking down in his arms, he knew that he would have dropped everything for them. He would have loved and raised the child.

"Olivia?" he asked quietly. "Liv?" he gently shook her, but realized that she fell asleep. He kissed the top of her head. He lifted them both up and headed to her bedroom. He gently set her down on the bed. He watched her for a moment. He was thinking about climbing in when she opened her eyes and spoke.

"Elliot, please...just leave."

The next morning Elliot saw Olivia walk through the doors. He could tell that she didn't sleep. He could also see that she cried more. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, but knew he couldn't. She walked over to her desk and sat down. She looked at him for a second before turning to her computer and starting the day.

Elliot rested his elbows on his desk and put his forehead in his hands.

She wasn't pregnant.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Cragen looked out his office window into the squadroom. Elliot and Olivia worked diligently on their paperwork as did Munch and Fin. Up until now it had been a slow couple of days. He got a call and now had to send two of them to the scene. He avoided putting Olivia and Elliot together. Munch and Fin were partners so it wasn't fair to keep splitting them up. He decided that it was time to end this and figure out what was going to happen. It wasn't up to him anymore.

He opened the door and walked between the desks. "Munch, you and Fin head here. You're late as it is so hurry up. Benson and Stabler, my office now."

Munch and Fin looked at each other quickly before looking at there friends and co-workers. Munch was about to say something sarcastic, but decided against it. They all knew the situation was tense and he also didn't want to get his head bit off by either Benson or Stabler.

Elliot and Olivia watched as their coworkers left and stayed at their desks as long as possible. Olivia was the first to stand up and to Cragen's office. Elliot followed shortly after. They both sat in the chairs across from Cragen. Nobody in the room knew where to start.

Cragen leaned forward and rested his arms on his desk. "You both know why you're here." They nodded. "Well? Do you have anything to say?" He looked at Elliot. He was sitting with his arms crossed legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. He turned to Olivia and saw he with her hands in her lap and her legs bent. Both were staring at some unknown point. He fell back in his chair and let out a breath. "Fine, I'll start. Do either of you realize what you have done? We shouldn't even be sitting here right now. You two should be split up and in different departments." He turned to Elliot. "What about your wife?"

Elliot looked at him. He didn't want to answer, but he knew that he had to. Cragen was trying to help them. "We're getting divorced." His voice was strained.

This didn't seem to faze the captain. He turned to Olivia. "What do you think about this?"

Olivia couldn't look up. She knew her voice would break. She knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to say she was glad that they split. She didn't mean that, but she still wanted to let it out. She wanted to let out how much it hurt whenever he left and went back to his happy family. Instead of speaking her mind she took a deep breath. "I think that it's none of my business." She was surprised at how neutral her voice sounded.

"Kathy didn't know about us." Elliot spoke.

Cragen nodded. "I'm sure on some level she did."

"Captain,"

He cut her off. "What would happen if Kathy did find out. Or if your kids found out?" He asked Elliot. "Or how about you, Olivia? I know you don't want to be the other woman. What about that guy that is out there waiting for you. You'll miss him." Olivia could feel the tears building behind her eyes. She knew all of this made sense, but she hasn't heard it from an outside source. "What if you get pregnant?" He saw both of his detective's heads snap up and then quickly look away. He rested his elbows on his desk and ran his hands over his face. He turned to Olivia.

"I'm not pregnant." Cragen was about to speak but Elliot spoke first.

"Sir, we're not sleeping together any more." Elliot's voice sounded far away to Olivia.

"Yeah? Why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm telling you the truth."

The two men stared at each other and the boss slowly nodded. He looked between the two of them again. "So what are we going to do?"

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	13. Chapter 11

I just want to say thank you to all of the readers and reviewers. I love how people are sticking with this story especially since it is taking so long to write.

THANK YOU!!

**Chapter 11**

Talking to Cragen seemed to do wonders. With the promise to keep their work and personal lives separate, Elliot and Olivia were able to stay partners. Nobody really knew if that was a good idea, but they couldn't walk away from each other. They were now solving their cases like they used to and were able to be civil with each other in the office. Sometimes they would go out after work if only if they weren't alone. Their work life was working out fine, but the same couldn't be said for their personal lives.

Elliot was lucky if he got to his kids once a week. It was agreed that the kids would stay with Kathy and he would get visitation rights. But with his job and their own lives, they were never open at the same time. He now had his own apartment and would spend his nights sitting on his couch with some kind of alcohol alone. A few short months ago he would have no problem getting up and heading over to Olivia's.

Those days were over.

Olivia wasn't doing much better. She had no drive to do anything accept work. But she cant do that because Cragen has been kicking her out of the office when she stays to long. So she either goes home or goes to a bar. Lately, she just heads home. She doesn't have any interest in being surrounded by people. So now she sits on her couch with some kind of alcohol staring at nothing. Olivia wished she could have some kind of contact with Elliot. All she wants to do is call him like she used to do. She just wanted to talk like they did before they screwed everything up.

Elliot and Olivia barely had and sort of conversation in the last month that wasn't work related. They didn't go out after work like they used to and they certainly didn't go over to each other's homes. It was understandable. The affair wore them down. The pregnancy scare added more strain and then the threat of being separated. Neither knew how to take that.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Elliot sat down at his desk and booted up his computer. Olivia came in a few seconds later.

"Good morning"

"Morning"

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

"We need those results from Warner."

"Let's head over there. After that we can go talk to our perp."

Olivia nodded silently.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

"The two of you look like hell. Get out of here." Cragen instructed. Neither moved. "Go, I don't want to see you back until late morning."

Elliot and Olivia quietly got there things together and headed out. Their cars were parked close. They looked at each other before getting in their respective cars.

"Goodnight"

"Night"

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Elliot's stomach rumbled for the third time in twenty minutes. He finally got up and readied himself for lunch. He was about to head out when he looked at Olivia. She still sat in her desk working. He remembered her having a muffin when she came in, but nothing since. He walked up to her desk and turned the monitor off. She was about to protest.

"I'm going to get lunch. Come with."

"Elliot,"

"You have to be hungry. Let's go."

Olivia was about to try to get out of it when her stomach betrayed her. She nodded and stood up.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

"How have you been?" Olivia asked after taking a bite of her salad.

"Fine" Elliot replied, sipping his drink. "What about you?"

"Fine"

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

She had a date.

She had a date.

She had a date.

That was the only thought that crossed Elliot's mind all day.

She had a date.

Olivia came in with a bag this morning. ON most mornings like this he wouldn't think twice about it. Normally, she would just be bringing in an extra set of clothes.

Normally, an extra set of clothes doesn't involve a pair of black stiletto heals.

It was driving him crazy. She was working quicker than usual and constantly looking at the clock.

It had been another month and he had become pretty good at ignoring her and his feelings for her. But the thought of her being with someone else was driving him up the wall.

And she knew it.

Olivia barely acknowledged him all day. She saw the way he looked at her when she walked in. She was tired of spending her off time at home alone. So she took the date even though she really didn't want to.

At the end of the day when Elliot was giving something to Cragen, she went upstairs to get ready. She just finished her hair and make-up and just slipped into her dress. She sat down on the bench to put her shoes on when she noticed him standing in the doorway.

Elliot leaned against the wall with his arms crossed staring at her. "You look good."

"Thank you." She responded slipping one foot in.

"Where are you going?"

She slipped her other foot in. "Dinner"

"Whats his name?"

She closed her locker and grabbed her purse. Smoothing her dress she moved for the door. She was about to pass him when he lightly grabbed her bare arm. She didn't look at him and he didn't look at her.

"James"

He let her go.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

James was tall, muscular, and had strong features.

His eyes were a deep, dark brown and he had a full head of dark hair to go with them.

He even spoke well. He didn't hog the conversation, and he seemed genuinely interested in her.

Olivia tried to smile and be the perfect date for him, but she just couldn't pull it off.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

James dropped Olivia off at her door and promised to call her. She knew he wouldn't. They got through more than half the night when he asked more about her job. Earlier in the night she told her that she was a cop, but he wanted to know more.

Once he knew more, he leaned back and that was officially the end.

Olivia smiled as he left the front of her apartment. She watched as he left and then sat down on the front steps. She rested her elbows of her knees and dipped her head down. She stayed still for a few moments before chills ran through her body. She was about to stand when she felt something draped across her shoulders.

Olivia smiled when she saw the gray sweatshirt. "I was wondering where this went."

"Yeah, well you left it at my place awhile back so I thought it was my turn to have my sweatshirt back." He sat down next to her. "No goodnight kiss?"

"No goodnight kiss."

"Second date?"

"No second date."

"His loss."

"My loss."

"His loss."

"Yeah..."

He gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "Any guy would be lucky to have you."

Olivia pulled away and laughed bitterly. "I've been on plenty dates with "any guy" and yet here I am."

"You just have to pick better guys."

Olivia took a deep intake of breath. "Is that it?" She asked dramatically. She stood up in front of him. "Just pick somebody better next time?" She clapped her hands. "Well, if only I'd done that from the beginning." She began to walk past him

Elliot stood as well and smiled. "Ha Ha, quit being dramatic." He grabbed her hand to stop her movement. "You have horrible taste in men." He shrugged his shoulders. "Im sorry to be the one that has to tell you. But it's true."

She roughly pulled her hand away. "I know. The last few guys have proved that."

She headed towards the door, but he quickly got in her way. "No, you are not running away from me."

"I'm not running away. I'm going up because it's late and we have work in the morning." Trying to get by him, but failing, she asked, "What?"

"I want to talk."

"Now? Here?"

"Yes now and yes here. Or we can go get some coffee or something."

Olivia knew she wasn't going to win this. If she wanted to get some sleep, she would have to listen to him. "Why can't we just go upstairs?"

He gave a sideways smirk. "Because that never turns out well." He stepped down the steps. "Well, we would have a good time, but that would only be after the fighting and before we wake up."

"You're a bastard."

"So I've been told."

"It's cold."

"Yeah, I wish I had something to keep me warm...like maybe a sweatshirt."

Olivia smiled and pushed her arms through the sleeves. "Yeah, too bad for you." She said walking past him towards the nearest coffee shop.


	14. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Both Elliot and Olivia got large coffees and found a booth in the corner of the small coffee shop. Somewhere between Olivia's place and the shop all the confidence they had flew away. Elliot sat with his hands under the table while Olivia kept hers securely around her cup.

"So, um, what did you want to talk about?" Olivia asked looking at his downcast eyes.

Good question, Elliot thought. He didn't really have anything to talk about, he just didn't want her to leave. He was about to answer with a lame question about her night, but thats when his phone decided to ring.

"Yeah, okay, I'll be there, yeah, bye."

"Who was that?"

Elliot didn't answer her. He just looked at her and raised his eyebrows when her phone began to ring. She sighed and pulled her phone out and gave the same responses as Elliot.

"We'll talk later?" Elliot asked

Olivia looked at him and nodded. "I have to go home and change. I'll meet you there."

"I'll give you a ride."

"I'm sure Cragen will love seeing us come in together this late on a Friday."

Elliot nodded in understanding as he held the door open for her. "I'll at least walk you home. You are not arguing your way out of that."

"I'm a big girl and a cop."

Before she could finish Elliot cut in. "Then you know all about the things that could happen." He smiled. "Besides, my car is by your place."

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

"Where is she?!" Elliot yelled as he stormed into the bull-pen.

"Elliot..."

"Unless you're going to tell me where she is, I don't want to here it." Elliot snapped at Fin. Fin shook his head and sat back down in his desk.

"Stabler, my office, now!" Cragen shouted.

"Captain," Elliot began as he closed the door.

"Don't start. I know how much you want to find her and I know how much it is hurting you." The captain look directly into his detective's eyes. "But don't make me take you off this case." Elliot slowly nodded his head. "We know this guy hates women, especially the kind who are strong and independent. That describes Detective Benson. He takes them from in front of their homes and holds them hostage in a small room with no windows for 4 days before he rapes them. On day 8 he rapes and beats them before leaving them unconscious in a wooded, but frequently visited area. That's the basis of what we know, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Elliot whispered.

"Right." Cragen sat down behind his desk. "I sent you and Detective Benson home yesterday at 10pm. Neither of you left until 10:30 which means she didn't get home until 11pm. You both were supposed to be back at 7am. You were early. We tried her phone at 7:30 and she didn't answer. It was turned off. At 7:45 we tried her home phone and she didn't answer. An hour later we tried both again and the same thing happened. You made it to her place by 9:30 and she didn't answer. You found her keys in the grass next to the walkway up to the door. You checked her apartment and nothing was out of place. You questioned the few neighbors that were around and one gave you a black van out front. You just got back and it is now 11:57am. There is no news about Detective Benson's whereabouts. She has been missing for at least 13 hours. Correct?"

Elliot stood perfectly still with his arms behind his back and his eyes straight as Cragen gave the overview. "Yes."

"Which means she is still safe. She is a detective and she has been working this case since I called 5 nights ago. She knows what is going on."

"With all do respect, sir, you know how much she pissed this guy off. She didn't just turn him down for a date. She is strong and independent and has a mouth on her that she used. You heard what she said to him." Elliot took a deep breath. "I doubt we have the full 4 days to find her."

"Then get out there and find Olivia!" Cragen snapped.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Olivia sat with her back against the wall. She had her eyes open, but that didn't do any good. The room was pitch black. Her hands were cuffed with her handcuffs in front of her. To the best of her knowledge, her captor Jay Stevens, left her an hour ago. But she really had no way of knowing. He came in to tell her that they were 7 hours into day one. When he spoke to her, he knelt down in front of her and held her chin in his hands. He wanted to make sure she looked directly in his eyes when he spoke.

Olivia had a pretty good idea what he meant when he said, "You're not going to be like most women who come down here. Our time will be special."

That meant that she probably didn't have 4 days. That meant she probably wasn't going to be here for 8 days. It was going to be more or less and she couldn't decide which would be better. She almost smiled. She had been told by numerous people that her mouth was going to get her in trouble one day.

Olivia wondered how long it took for the guys to realize she was missing.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

It was two in the morning and Cragen didn't even bother trying to send anyone home. His 3 detective's sat at their desks working through all of the evidence they had collected in the last few days. He couldn't help but look to her desk every few minutes. It was empty. She should be there working with them. She was the one who would be falling asleep. Her head would be slipping forward and her eyes would be barely open, but somehow she would make a connection. She would find something or make a connection that solved the case. All of a sudden she would be wide awake and following the lead.

"What do we got?" he asked standing up. He was sharing Elliot's desk. He couldn't bring himself to use the empty one.

"Nothing new." Munch said from his desk.

"This guy makes sure these women don't know where he took them." Fin added. "They cant tell us tell us anything other than they were attacked in front of their homes and they were in a room with no windows."

"My best guess is that they were held in a basement. We need to get into every building he ever stepped into."

"Munch, we cant get a warrant on a guess." Cragen said tiredly.

"Then we narrow it down as much as possible." Elliot spoke for the first time. Elliot moved to the map. He pointed out where all the victims were found. "It forms a circle around this area."

"Too much area." Cragen said angrily. "We need more!" He took a deep breath. "We need to make a better guess and spin it into something convincing."

Fin slammed down his phone. "How about this for convincing?" He stepped over to the map. "A black van matching Stevens' was found here by patrol. I say we split up and search the surrounding buildings."

Elliot and Munch nodded. Cragen help up his hand. "That's a residential area. We question the neighbors and go in if there is anything suspicions."

"Captain..."

"Elliot, if we want this to end well, we need to follow the book as much as possible."

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

"Get off!" Olivia screamed as he pushed her against the wall. He came in a few minutes earlier and immediately attacked her. He held her arms down by the handcuffs and had his body firmly pressed against hers. The only light in the room was from the flashlight that he brought in. "Let me go!" She yelled as she brought her knee up.

"Bitch!" he yelled as he fell to the floor. Olivia took her chance and ran for the door. She tugged it open, but it was quickly closed. He grabbed her arm and she tried to fight, but he threw her back. The last thing she saw was his black boots as he stood over her. Then everything went black.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Cragen and Elliot sat in the car on the corner of the street that they just finished questioning. Fin just called them and told them that they were heading over. Elliot stared out the window while Cragen talked on the phone. He knew she wouldn't be in any of these houses. Most of them had toys out front with little gardens and neatly cut grass.

"They didn't find anything. They are going to meet us back at the station." Cragen said as he closed the phone.

"Yeah, well, what did you expect? Look where we are. He probably dropped the van off and went somewhere else." Elliot's voice was quiet and distant.

"You cant give up, Elliot." Cragen sympathized. "We still have time."

"We're on the third day. We don't know anything."

"You're right. But does that mean we give up and stop looking for her?"

Elliot let his head fall against the seat. "I cant do this." he mumbled

"Do what?"

"Care this much."

"She's your partner. It's normal."

Elliot gave a humorless laugh. "You know she's not just my partner."

"Elliot..."

"I cant lose her, Don."

Cragen rested his arm on the younger man's shoulder. "You wont."

"One way or another I will." Elliot looked in his eyes. "When this is over, I'm done." Cragen smiled. "What?"

"You're not even going to talk to her about it?"

"Cops get new partners all the time."

"So you're not going to talk to her at all?"

"She doesn't always need a say in what I do."

"Elliot, when it involves her, she gets a say."

Elliot rubbed his face. "She'll understand."

"Yeah, but first she'll kick your ass." Cragen looked at him. "Don't do anything stupid." he was about to pull away from the curb when a teenage girl came up to the car. "He rolled down his window. "Can I help you?"

"Um, you guys just talked to my mom, right?" She indicated towards the house. "Well, um, I heard you talking I think I can help."

"Go on." Cragen encouraged.

"Well, the other night I was heading out with one of my friends." She looked nervous. "I saw this guy carrying this woman. I asked if she was okay and he said she was drunk and he was just helping her. I didn't think anything of it. He switched cars."

"Can you describe the guy and the car?" Elliot hurriedly asked.

The girl nodded.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

Olivia opened her eyes to pitch blackness again. She felt dizzy as she sat up and could feel the dried blood on her forehead. She pushed herself up and leaned against the wall again. She tried to calm her breathing and focus on escaping. She had no way of timing anything. The only hint that she got that he was coming was when she heard the lock turning.

Olivia shivered. The first time she woke up she had a jacket, zip-up sweater, t-shirt, and tank top on. Now all she had was her tank top. Her jeans were still on, but her shoes and socks were missing. She thought about her situation.

She was in a dark room with a locked door. Stevens could easily overpower her. She had no way of getting in touch with anyone and the only time she had light was when he brought in his flashlight.

She tried as hard as possible to hold back her tears, but they slowly started to fall.

She wondered what Elliot had on his mind when he wanted to talk to her on Friday night.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOEO

"This has to be it." Elliot said walking up to the abandoned warehouse. "This is the last place we can look that fits."

The 3 detectives and 1 captain took out their weapons and headed inside. They all split up to search the old place.

They all ran over when Munch spoke that he found a locked door.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 13**

Olivia gave up crying some time ago because it really didn't do her any good. Now she paced back and forth. She worked out a plan in her head.

She would stay next to the door so that the next time she heard the lock turn she could attack him without him knowing. She would hurt him as much as possible and then run. Run to where, she didn't know. But anywhere was better than the tiny room.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOE

Elliot was about to bang on the door when Fin grabbed his arm.

"We don't want him to know that we are here." He explained and Elliot nodded. "We need to find a way in."

They all heard Munch clear his throat. "These might help."

"Where were those?" Cragen asked. Munch indicated to an empty crate not to far away.

"You're kidding?" Elliot walked over to him and took them. "The keys were just left out?"

"I guess this guy isn't the sharpest tool in the box."

There were a lot of keys on the key ring so the only thing to do was to try every one of them. It wasn't until Elliot got to the sixth key that it fit. He looked behind him and saw that everyone already had their guns out. He slowly pushed the door open and began to open the door when he felt an elbow connect with his nose. He went from cautious to enraged faster than ever. He grabbed the arm that hit him and pushed the perp against the wall. He could feel him moving under him and fighting. His vision was blurred but he still brought his arm back and was about to bring it forward.

"Elliot!"

He immediately dropped his arm and blinked a few times. He looked at Cragen, the voice that called him. Then back to the one he had against the wall and the one who stopped fighting.

"Olivia?" He immediately let her go.

"Oh God, it's you!" Olivia sounded relieved.

Munch walked over and lifted her arms. "Are you okay?" He took off the cuffs.

Olivia reached up and grabbed the dark glasses that rested on his face. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did he hurt you?"

"What did he do?"

"Do you need an ambulance?"

"Stop!" She shouted. "I just want to get out of here." She looked around, still squinting. "Is he here?"

"We didn't see him." Cragen said putting his jacket around her shoulders.

"Thanks." She looked at Elliot. "Oh my God, Elliot!" Olivia exclaimed when she saw his bloody nose/ She reached up to his face, but he pushed her hand away. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you!"

"Its okay, don't worry about." He tried to smile. "I'm glad you can do this."

"Why don't we get out of here?" Fin suggested.

Once they were outside Olivia covered her eyes even more. "You can lay down in the back if you want." Elliot said. She nodded.

"Hey!" Cragen yelled when he saw who was running towards one of the cars.

All of them looked and saw Steven's trying to get in the car. Elliot made sure the captain and Munch were by Olivia when he joined Fin in chasing him down.

Fin was the first to get to him. He threw Stevens to the ground and got on top of him. Fin brought his fist down on his face a few times before flipping him over. Elliot handed him his cuffs. Stevens fought them all the way to the car. Elliot opened the back door and punched him in the stomach. He pushed him in and slammed the door shut.

"I'll take him back with Munch." Fin said as Munch walked to the drivers side.

Elliot went back to where Cragen and Olivia were getting into the other car.

"Are you okay?" Elliot asked before she got in the backseat.

"I'm the one in the box with him." She answered before sitting down and closing the door.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOE

Olivia didn't object when Cragen pulled up in front of the hospital. Although, she did feel weird walking in. She could tell the three of them were getting strange looks. Olivia walked in barefoot with an over-sized jacket on her shoulders while Elliot's face still had blood on it.

They now sat in a room waiting for the doctor to come back. Elliot sat in a chair against the wall with an icepack and Olivia was on the table staring at the floor. Cragen stood between the two. He was about to speak when the doctor came in.

"Hello, Detectives. I'm Dr. Harrows. Detective Benson, I just looked at the test results and everything seems to be fine. The stitches are enough and whenever you're ready you can leave." He handed her a a pill bottle. "Take these if your head hurts too much." He turned to Elliot. "Detective Stabler, you will probably have some swelling and bruising, but it is nothing serious. You should be fine within a week or so. I also have some medication for you as well. Only take it if it is absolutely necessary." He looked around the room. "Any questions?"

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOE

Cragen didn't like it, but they went straight back to the house after the hospital. He now stood watching his two detectives interrogating their perp. The two of them looked like they were about to pass out what with all the bruises and pale skin.

"So you see, Stevens, we got you. You have been caught and I wouldn't be surprised if you are denied parole." Elliot stood smug against the wall.

"I'll be fine." He replied just as smug.

"No, you will be finishing up your life behind bars." Olivia leaned closer to him across the table. "Thanks to your sloppy work you failed." She smiled. "How would your mother feel about that? Her son failed..."

"Shut up." He snapped. Elliot saw his eyes darken even more and he knew that Olivia saw too.

"It always comes back to her, doesn't it?" She pushed. "What do you have against her?"

"The crazy ones always have mommy problems." Elliot slowly walked around the room. "So what, she didn't love you enough? Didn't give you enough attention?"

"He just failed so much that she didn't think he deserved it." Olivia said flippantly.

"Bitch!" He was out of his seat and across the table reaching for her neck. "You're dead!"

Olivia stood quickly and backed up as Elliot grabbed him and threw him against the wall. "Do that again and that will be your last move."

Olivia came next to them and slapped her cuffs on him. "Congratulations, Mr. Stevens, you just added another charge against you." He looked at her with burning eyes. "Assaulting an officer...again."

He tried to break away from Elliot, but Elliot held him tight. "Calm down, buddy, you'll see her again in court." Elliot led him out of the room and to his cell.

Olivia was walking out of the room and looked at Cragen. "So what now?"

"This case is as good as done." Cragen said. "Go home."

Olivia nodded. "Sounds good."

"Olivia." She turned before heading out. "Are you really okay?"

"He ruffed me up a little, Captain." She smiled. "I fought back and then he knocked me out. I woke up...how you found me."She finished quietly.

"Olivia..."

"He didn't do anything."

Cragen nodded. "Go home and get some rest. Come back when you're ready. Let your partner know as well."

"K, thanks."

"And Olivia, I don't mean to come back tomorrow." He smiled.

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOE

Olivia begrudgingly got off the couch and walked over to her door. She had a feeling she knew who it was. The knock was light but fast. She opened the door and saw him standing back a few feet with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey."

"Hey." He stood still for a moment. It was strange because they were going on days without seeing or speaking to each other. Usually he would just push his way it. "May I come in?"

"Um, yeah, sure." She was a little confused by his hesitant behavior. "Are you okay?" She asked , almost nervously, once the door was closed.

"Yeah, fine." He said sarcastically. "It's not like some that I care about was just found after being kidnapped by murdering rapist. It's not like I could barely function without you there. Its not like..." His voice raised as he spoke, but Olivia stopped him.

"Elliot stop. I'm fine. You found me. He didn't do anything to me. Nothing happened." She stood in front of him with her arms crossed. "I'm fine."

He scoffed. "You're always fine."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you never tell me how you feel or what's going on in your head." He nearly shouted.

"And you're any better?" She yelled matching his voice.

"I wasn't the one locked in a...a...a dungeon!"

"What do you want me to say? It happened, it was bad, it's over and done with!" She tried to stalk by him but he caught her arm and spun her around. "Let go of me." She seethed.

"Not until you tell me what's going on." He tried to steady his voice. "Just talk to me."

"Talk to you about what, Elliot?" She wanted him leave and never come back. She didn't want to talk about it. "You got there before he did anything." Her voice was lowering. His grip loosened. "He locked me in there. I was unconscious or alone most of the time. I fought him when he tried anything." She yanked her arm away from his and headed for the kitchen. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She wasn't really thirsty. All she wanted was a distraction.

"He touched you?" Elliot whispered as he entered the kitchen.

Olivia's eyes locked on his and grew dark. "Is that what this is about? You're jealous?" She nearly screamed. "You don't like that he tried something because you don't think anyone other than you should be able to?" Her voice rose and if she was paying any attention to him she would have noticed that his rage was flaring. She tried to pass him again, but this time instead of grabbing her arm he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her against the wall.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He screamed in her face. She squirmed but he just squeezed harder. "I'm jealous? I'm not jealous. A rapist had you at his mercy. You were cuffed. He could do whatever he wanted with you and you would be helpless..."

"I wasn't..."

"I'm not jealous. Yeah I was jealous when you went on those dates and I was so happy, ecstatic, when you had to cancel one! But I am not jealous of that guy!" He pushed away from her. His voice grew quiet. "How could you think that?"

He turned his back to her and she slid down the wall. It was silent for awhile.

"I don't think that." She mumbled

"Then why did you say it?" He still didn't face her.

"I don't know."

After a few more minutes of silence, Elliot slid down next to her. "I was worried."

"I know." He slid his hand in hers.

"I just..."

"I cried." She interjected.

"What?"

"I cried." She looked straight ahead. "Not for long. I realized nothing would come from that. It wasn't long before you found me." He squeezed her hand. "I was afraid that I would become his next victim and I wouldn't be able to help throw him away. I was afraid that he would go after someone else after he was done with me."

Elliot smiled a little. "You always worry others before yourself."

"I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to find me."

"We were trying our hardest, Olivia. You have to believe that."

"I know, I do. It's just...we were having enough trouble as it was and..."

"What?"

"I thought you wouldn't find me."

"We did."

She lowered her head. "All I could think about what you, Elliot. I wanted you to find me. I didn't...I just wanted you."

Elliot quickly turned to look at her even though she kept her head down. He let go of her hand and slid his arm around her shoulders. She still didn't move so he pulled her closer. He smiled when she rested her head against his shoulder. He pressed his lips to her head. "I know what you mean." He barely whispered.

Olivia tiled her head up to him and he looked down at her. "Yeah?"

He leaned forward and gently, hesitantly placed his lips down on hers. It was a slow kiss that only lasted a few seconds, but it was worth it. As they pulled back Elliot said, "Yeah."

Olivia was about to say something, but her stomach decided to rumble. Elliot smiled. "Sorry."

"It's okay. When was the last time you ate?"

She thought for a moment. "Awhile ago."

Elliot pushed himself up off the ground. Once he was balanced he held his hands out for Olivia to pull her up. "Chinese or pizza?"

"Pizza."

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOE

Elliot opened his eyes slowly. He wanted to sleep longer. He wanted to hold her in his arms longer. The sun was just starting to rise. Soon the rays would break through the window and land on them. Olivia was nested in his chest breathing slowly. The television was still on and the pizza box was on the coffee table. He shifted slightly to reach behind him and grab his phone.

"What time is it?" Olivia mumbled, still half asleep.

"Early." He pulled her closer. "Would you be more comfortable in your bed?"

Olivia rolled over. He held her so she wouldn't fall. "Are you trying to get in my bed, Detective?"

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Not today. But we do have to be at work in a few hours and I still need to get home to change." She stretched out and sat up. He followed. "You're the lucky one that can get a few more minutes of sleep in."

"I think I'm up." She looked at him. "That's the most sleep I've gotten in a long time."

"Same here."

They were sitting quietly next to each other on the couch. Both knew that he needed to go, but they didn't know how to handle it.

"Elliot..."

"Don't." He looked at her. "We had a good night together. It was a good time." He almost looked pleadingly at her. "Please, don't think about it. At least not now." She nodded. He leaned forward and kissed her lips. "I'll see you at work."

She watched as he got his stuff together and headed for the door. "Elliot!" She called before he walked out. She hurried over to him. She stopped though.

"What?"

"Um..."

"What is it?" he asked gently.

"It's just that...well..."

"Olivia, just say it." Elliot was worried she was going to shut down and close him out again. After all, that's what they did. They had one good night followed by a bunch of bad ones.

"Tell me that last night meant something."

He smiled and almost laughed. He wasn't expecting to hear that. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. He kissed her again. "I'll see you at work. After work we will talk about it." He held her hand tightly. "And yes, it did mean something. We'll figure out what."

EOEOEOEOEOEOEOE


End file.
